The extra help
by AimeeMcGee
Summary: Little gift to myself for my 24th birthday. It's Tim's birthday at NCIS, and the gift he just received is not the one he would have expected. I do not own NCIS, the characters belong to D.P.B, and I make no money off this. Now complete.
1. Make a wish, Samantha

The woman went out of the elevator, her black, wavy hair softly flying away from her back as she entered the bullpen, a backpack hanging on her shoulder. The man watched her coming, unbearably joyful, as usual.

'''Happy birthday, Samantha. Make a wish.'''

''My name is Ziva, Tony, and it is not my birthday at all.''

''Oh come on, David, _Sixteen Candles_ ? John Hughes, 1984 ? God, why do I take the time to make you a list of films if you're not even capable to watch any of them ?''

The female agent grinned ironically and dropped her bag on the floor, taking a seat behind her desk. She logged in and took another look at Tony.

''I wasn't watching stupid movies in 1984, DiNozzo, that's why'' she said.

''You were two years old in 1984.''

''Ah-ah.''

Ziva begun typing on her keypad, trying to ignore Tony's umpteenth stupid joke, but the agent stood up from his seat and approached her.

''It's probie's birthday, tomorrow, remember ? Little Tim is gonna become a man !''

''Oh, so he's gonna be older than you, then.''

Tony pressed a palm on his chest, pretending to feel hurt, before finally putting both hands on Ziva's desk, now suspiciously staring at her.

''So…?'' he asked, smiling again.

''So _what_ , Tony ? I did not watch any movie from your stupid list this week, I had other fish to eat.''

''Fry.''

''Oh, what's the difference, Tony...!''

 _''So''_ he repeated. ''How was yesterday ?''

''Not that bad'' she answered, coldly.

''Sorry, let me rephrase that'' Tony said, rubbing his neck. ''How was yesterday...with Ezra ?''

Ziva's face instantly turned red as she left her seat and confronted Tony.

''How in the world do you kn… You've read my emails, you little b...!''

''Nope'' Tony retorted and stood up. ''I've answered your phone last time you were with McGee.''

Ziva's lips started articulating words in Hebrew as he funnily begun imitating a fake assistant voice, and she finally raised an arm in the air, but Tony immediately caught the flying hand.

''Hmmm…that's pretty mean, Agent David. You should be careful with what you say. Threats against a federal agent are punished by the law.''

''You don't even _understood_ what I said !'' she retorted, angrier than before.

''Every time this lovely mouth is saying something in your language I know pretty much what it should mean, Ziva. But I've been trained with the best, you know, I ain't scared of you anyhow.''

''Then you should be'' a voice suddenly advised, Gibbs entering the bullpen with his usual coffee cup between hands.

Ziva reflexively chuckled, happy to see Jethro finally coming, and took a last look at her colleague, trying to calm down.

''Oh, hi, boss'' Tony smiled, nervously. ''Any new case to work on ?''

''No.''

''My report will be on your desk at the end of the day, Gibbs'' Ziva added.

Jethro simply nodded and noticed the continuous smile along Tony's lips. He immediately approached him, dubious.

''What is your problem, DiNozzo ?'' he asked, furrowing an eyebrow.

''Nothing, boss.''

''Then _do something_ , Tony'' he groaned. ''Not having a crime scene to work on doesn't mean you have to stay here and be stupidly happy !''

''Sorry, boss. I'll ask Abby if she needs help for anything.''

''Good idea, DiNozzo.''

— — — — — — — — — —

 _''Tony !''_

Abby's black platform shoes tried running in his direction, the woman's arms automatically hugging the agent who had just entered her lab. She smiled at him and asked the question she was dying to know the answer for.

''So ? Any new dead guy ? Any new case ?''

''No new dead guy. No new case.''

''Greaaat ! What time is McGee coming back from the interrogation ?''

''In the afternoon, I guess.''

'' _Perfect_ , I'll leave before, then. No way I'm keeping such a secret if I have a chance to meet him before tomorrow.''

Tony smiled and watched the numerous screens around, trying to find something to do.

''Any extra help you might need, Abbs ?''

''Everything is fresh and clean, here. And as you said, no new dead body, so…''

''Oh come on, Abby'' Tony almost begged. ''Let me stay a bit in here, otherwise Gibbs is gonna kill me straight away as soon as I come back upstairs. I can already picture him, waiting for me next to the elevator, ready to give me some head slaps...brrr.''

The woman smiled and gently took his hands.

''Relax, Tony...and enjoy the freedom of doing nothing...'' She took a deep breathe and focused again on her colleague. ''Actually, there might be something you can tell me. So...you're gonna see her tonight ?''

Tony chuckled and let the words automatically leave his mouth, too happy and proud to give her the infos she wanted.

''Oh yeah, Abby. And I'm gonna treat her the way every DiNozzo treats a woman : like a princess.''

The woman left him for a minute and clicked a few times on her computer, the speakers ending up playing a sexy version of 'Happy Birthday'.

''Blimey, Tony...she whispered and smiled, sensually. Love at night and dessert for tomorrow. I freaky _love_ that…''


	2. A quiet afternoon

Tim heard the _ding_ of the elevator as he finally entered the bullpen after a boring afternoon. He took off his NCIS cap and dropped his backpack on his desk, rubbing his forehead.

''Oh, hi, Abby'' he smiled as he noticed her shadow, suddenly facing her.

''Hey. Hi, Tim.''

''Is there a problem, Abby ? You okay...?''

''Sure ! I'm fine.''

The woman seemed to freeze unreasonably for a second before heading to the silver cage, now walking faster than before in its direction.

''Wait, Abbs, did you get…''

''Bye, Timmy !'' she strangely answered and barely waved at him, her things stuck under both her crossed arms, the doors of the elevator finally closing in order to hide her from the bullpen.

''Bye, Abby… Hey, Tony, is Abby alright ?'' he added when he saw him coming. ''She seemed…strange, I mean, stranger than usual…you know.''

''Well, well, well'' Tony answered, a smile along his lips, ''Abby is Abby…she probably has a vampires meeting to go to, or something, or a wood workshop with Gibbs, to build a new coffin.''

''Yeah, right. Anyway. What were you doing ?''

''Dealing with a dangerous mission...''

''Coming from ?'' Tim asked, intrigued.

''The men's room.''

''Oh, God.''

Tony proudly chuckled and took a seat on top of Tim's desk, funnily watching McGee's face turning paler.

''Silly jokes, Tony, _really_ ?''

''Enjoy, McGee, as long as you can. Tonight I am about to see the sexy Latisha, and I have to show her the amazing DiNozzo…!''

''No doubt she'll get an idea of who you really are…'' Tim sighed and tried pushing the agent away from his desk. ''Does she know how you sound every time you pronounce 'sexy Latisha' ?''

''A booking in one of the best restaurants in town'' Tony continued without listening. ''Then a bottle of red wine at home…French one, of course. And dessert...'' he added, moving his arms as if there was some kind of magic coming out of them. ''And which one is it, McSugar ?''

''Caramelized apple pie...?'' Tim tried answering, finally feeling hungry.

''Raaah…did you ever go on a date, McGee ?'' Tony clenched his fists and immediately left his personal space.

''Caramelized apple pies are incredibly delicious, you know, Tony, especially with a bowl of ic…''

''And where ? In Wisconsin ? _No_ , McGee, I planned something very different for tonight, very... _fancy_ … Cremes brulees.''

''Okay, now I'm really starving.''

''Rrrrr...someone is grumpy'' Tony said, amused, clenching his hand into fake claws.

'' _God_ , you have no idea. I haven't eaten for lunch, Tony, and the other agent I was running the interrogation with was spending his time having troubles with his computer system. After we talked to Mr Wallans he asked me for some help...I think I hadn't been so depressed in a while of not having a dead guy case to focus on.''

''Come on, McGeek, was this agent that boring ?''

''Geeks do like to see the sun sometimes, Tony, especially when it shows up...''

''Yeah, I guess... Why did you even have to run this interrogation with them, anyway ?''

''Seems like it was related somehow to a case I had been working on, years ago…although I have no memory of it. They could have picked any other agent to help them, someone living closer, by the way...''

''I guess all this time spent playing video games killed the brain that used to be yours, king of the elves !''

''The price to pay for being too nice'' Tim sighed another time, Tony almost proud to see him complain about work, for once.

 _''...Dinozzo ! McGee ! Go home.''_

Both federal agents jumped and watched Gibbs' arrival with surprise, not knowing if it was an order or a threat. They started taking their bags with hesitation, unsure if they should really move or stay.

''Boss…it's not that late'' McGee shyly said.

 _''Yeah.''_ Tony confirmed. ''Not late at all.''

'' _And ?''_ Jethro confronted them _._ ''There's nothing to do in here. But maybe you would prefer…''

Tony and Tim almost ran to the elevator, pushing each other in order to press the button and be the first to enter it. Gibbs discreetly smiled as he witnessed their childish attitude and dropped a few files on his desk. He took a sip of his new coffee and took a look at the sun, lightening the bullpen. He enjoyed the silence for a minute and answered his phone.

''Gibbs.''

 _''Was McGee alright ? Does he suspect anything ?''_ the voice loudly resonated, as expected.

''No, Abby.'' Gibbs smiled, thinking about this whole tricky plan for a simple birthday cake and candles. ''I told them he was an expert in computering, and they had a few hours to spare.''

 _''So agents can be good actors, too ?''_

''Seems like they are'' Gibbs chuckled, drinking some more coffee. ''He had a very bad day.''

 _''Good. I'll finish the icing at my lab tonight, and I'll put it on the fridge for tomorrow.''_

''Bye, Abbs.''

 _''Wait, Gibbs ! No new dead guy for tomorrow, alright ? I want Tim to have and enjoy his birthday cake with the whole team !''_

''Can't promise that.''

 _''Do it anyway !''_

''Alright, Abbs. No new dead guy for tomorrow, I promise.''

 _''Good.''_

Gibbs smiled and hung up the phone, facing the almost empty bullpen again. Then he took a new sip of his coffee and quietly sat down behind his desk, enjoying a rare opportunity to work in silence.


	3. McBirthday

Tim entered the bullpen, a donut half stuck inside his mouth.

''Eww, McGee, save room for lunch…''

''And that was the first stupid sentence of the day…'' Tim said, taking the donut away from his mouth, wondering if Tony had an alarm for every time he was looking completely dumb.

''Alright'' Tony continued. ''Let's be serious.''

''Okay, now I'm scared'' Tim reacted, dropping his bag.

Tony almost ran in his direction and palpated his hips, immediately being pushed away by Tim.

''Happy Birthday to you, McChubby !''

Tim couldn't help but smile a little, taking a seat.

''Ah-ah. Anyway, thanks, Tony…I guess.''

Tony chuckled and imitated him, wondering where the others could be... He uselessly begun tapping his desk with both palms, lowly whistling for a minute, before finally remaining silent. Tim quietly logged in and checked his emails, answering a few of them... He suddenly stopped and grabbed the seat's arms, feeling dubious.

''So ? That's all ?''

Tony crossed his hands behind his head and took a look at his colleague, curious.

''What, probie ? You wanted a birthday card or something ?''

''No, it's just suspicious. You...being silent.''

''I can be sometimes'' Tony commented, revealing bright teeth.

''No. Actually, Tony, you are incapable of being silent.''

''Well, what did you expect, then ?''

''Nothing. Knowing you, I was simply waiting for one of your famous morning quotes, especially on that day…not that you have to feel forced to do so !'' he immediately added, already regretting.

''Are you kidding ? I thought you'd never ask !'' Tony brusquely stood up, excited like a kid. He instantly begun using a very serious voice, Tim rubbing his face with exasperation, and faced his colleague. '''Great men are not born great, they grow great.'''

'' _The Godfather_ !'' Tim pointed a finger in Tony's direction, almost proud to have guessed the movie title. Yeah…Tony had definitely made him change, and not exactly for the best. ''Well'' he continued. ''Then thank you. I'm glad to know I'm growing great.''

''Well, most important part to remember is that you're _not_ born great !'' Tony commented.

 _''Sorry you just had to endure that, McGee''_ a female voice suddenly said from afar, approaching the duet. ''I tried to arrive earlier but I had a little problem to deal with, with a driver.''

''That's what we call a car accident, in the USA, David'' Tony mocked her. ''An accident there is no doubt you are responsible for.''

''Oh shut up, Tony'' she immediately retorted, opening both arms in front of Tim. ''Happy birthday, McGee. ''

The agent stood up and smiled another time as he heard the Hebrew's way as well and welcomed the drink she was holding to him.

''I asked for some extra cream inside, I thought you might like it like that. They call it a...''

''According to the way she drives, McGee, no doubt it's a Frappuccino...'' Tony mumbled.

''Cream is perfect, Ziva, I'm sure it's delicious''.

''Thank you, Tim.''

Tony watched Tim thank Ziva as well, and discreetly laughed at him, palpating his own hips and inflating his cheeks, but a slap suddenly hit his head from behind, sign of the Gibbs' inevitable presence.

''Thanks, boss.''

''Happy birthday, McGee'' Jethro said, in turn, quickly hugging him, shaking his hand.

''So ?'' Tony asked. ''You came with no gift, boss ? _I_ quote _The Godfather_ for the event. Can you do better than that ?''

Gibbs reflexively sighed, faking a new head slap.

''Today, you do it as much as necessary, McGee'' he suddenly announced. ''Put it on my tab.''

''Wh… _hey_ , not fair !'' Tony complained before meeting Gibbs' terrible eyes. ''Fair enough, boss... _I mean_ , after all...it's McGee's birthday, right ?''

As he desperately heard Ziva laugh and noticed McGee's discreet smile, Ducky and Palmer finally joined them, but Tim couldn't help but look for Abby in the crowd. After all, if one person in the world would have been expected to arrive first on this day…that was her. And now he was even missing the exaggerated hugs she was sharing so often with everyone.

''Aspirin for breakfast, Tony ?'' Palmer asked him after some time. ''Ohhh, right…you were with the sexy Latisha yesterday, true ?'' he added, giggling. ''What is it, hangover ?''

''I'm alright, Palmer. No terrible headache for probie's birthday…although I did have a quite heavy sleep, last night.''

''But as Euripides said : 'Where there is no wine, there is no love !''' Jimmy quoted and laughed.

''Well, I guess you can't be wrong about that…'' Tony mumbled and rubbed his forehead, yawning as well. He invited Palmer to come closer and started whispering. _''What is strange is that I always wake up in the middle of the night for...''_

''To relieve your bladder, DiNozzo?'' Ziva loudly asked, noticing the parallel conversation.

''To drink a glass of water, David !'' Tony groaned before continuing, lower. _''Pssst...so, Palmer. Do you think I should worry or something ?''_

 _''Because you didn't drink water ? I don't think so.''_

 _''No, Palmer...other version.''_

Jimmy was about to answer when they both felt the sudden, strange energy behind them, and Tony immediately hunched his back, waiting for the head slap...but nothing came.

''You want to join us, DiNozzo, or you prefer to take a medical appointment with Palmer ?''

The two of them met Gibbs' terrible gaze and instantly rejoined everyone.

''So, one year older, probie...'' he tried starting a new, basic subject, approaching the birthday man. ''Did you know that...'' he continued, but a hand unexpectedly hit his skull, a bit differently than before. Ziva laughed at him as he seemed to turn angrier, looking for revenge. ''What did you just do, David ?''

''Nothing'' she answered, smiling. ''McGee did.''

 _''McGee...''_

Tony watched Tim blow on his own palm with satisfaction, his blood boiling inside.

''Sorry, Tony. After _The Godfather_ , I was afraid that this new subject of yours might be less interesting...''

Ducky and Jethro smiled at Tim's new victim, the ME putting a comforting hand on Tony's shoulder...

''Yeah, laugh, McGee, but you won't act so smart tomorrow when I...oh my God, you _didn't...!_ '' he almost yelled, this time, staring at Ziva. ''Boss, this isn't even her birthday ! Can I...''

 _''No.''_

''Sorry, Gibbs'' she coldly commented, before smiling at Tony. ''I heard a threat against a federal agent, so I thought I might intervene.''


	4. A piece of cake

_''Okay, Tony, I'm ready''_ Abby whispered from a corner of the bullpen, an sumptuous cake in hands.

 _''So can I do it now ?''_

 _''Oh yeah, Tony. Give them the show they deserve.''_

 _''Your wish is our command, Abby !''_ Tony smiled and grabbed the remote control between fingers, approaching Tim's desk, speaking louder. ''Ladies and gentlemen, federal agents and people of the world…'' He stopped and pointed a finger at a woman, smiling again. ''Yes, you too, Rachel.''

Ziva rolled her eyes and hoped for the stupid scene to be soon over, Tim still trying to understand how this could be related to him.

''Let me present you today the most beautiful woman in D.C, and her beautiful dessert !'' he continued. ''Now, dear Agent McGee, please accept to share with us this amazing present coming straight away from the abysses of NCIS, the place where all the dreams come true, the place where…''

 _''Tony !'_ ' the voice complained from afar.

The agent nervously swallowed and reluctantly stopped his speech, watching Ziva's umpteenth grin with desperation.

''Ladies and gentlemen, Abby Sciuto and her birthday cake'' he quickly added, letting the woman pass.

The long, dark hair flied as the black dress she was wearing moved in McGee's direction. Tim's eyes immediately opened wide at the discovery, the whole team now sharing his impression, facing a large, beautiful red and white cake.

''Abby…that's wonderful !'' Tim exclaimed and smiled.

''I know, right ? Happy birthday, Timmy !'' she said once both her arms seemed only free to hug. ''I was sooo scared you'd think I had forgotten !''

''I wouldn't dare thinking such thing'' he commented, keeping the hug longer.

Ziva brusquely took the remote control from Tony's grip.

''So, Tony ? I bet you're happy you did your showman ? Too bad it lasted too long…''

''Doesn't seem to bother any women I know. By the way, David, how is Ezra ?''

''I wasn't talking about this kind of thing, DiNozzo.'' She coldly chuckled and hit his ribs, giving him back the item. ''And Ezra is fine, thank you for caring.''

''You're welcome…'' Tony commented, breathless.

 _''Now make a wish, McGee !''_ Abby almost ordered, crazily excited.

Tim smiled for the umpteenth time of the day, taking a look at all the people around him. His team. His _friends_. Ducky, Jimmy and Jethro were smiling back at him, Ziva and Tony were fighting, as usual…and Abby...she was full of surprises. Yes, maybe he was looking like the biggest cliche in the world, thinking like that, but that little voice inside his head was talking about the only same thing : he already had everything he wanted.

''Money doesn't count !'' Tony brusquely said, interrupting his thoughts. ''No way for you to wish for a better salary, McFiesta, trust me when I say you'll still be paid like crap for this job.''

''Ziva ?'' Tim whispered.

 _Thwack !_

''Oh, DiNozzo…'' she spoke, sensually. ''I know better and better everyday that very strange skull of yours…''

''Boss…!'' Tony almost begged, staring at Gibbs.

''It's McGee's birthday, today. He can delegate as much as he wants.''

''Okay, McGee. Enjoy. Tomorrow you're dead.''

''Thanks, DiNozzo'' Tim commented.

''Okay, no more talk, now. McGee, blow your candles !'' Abby ordered again.

And on these words, he obeyed... Tim closed his eyes for a second and then happily watched the flammes leave their sticks of wax, the whole team staring at him, all clapping in the end in McGee's honor...appreciating the moment. Abby winked at Gibbs as if to thank him for something and begun to cut the large cake, revealing some dark chocolate inside.

''Here is the Abby's style we were waiting for !'' Tony exclaimed, pointing a finger at the first piece.

''What, Tony ? Did you seriously expect a fully black dessert for McGee's birthday ? That would have been so sad…! No, McGee needs something which looks like him, something colorful...''

 _''Am I ?''_ Tim discreetly asked in the middle of the conversation, his cheeks turning a bit redder than before.

''Well...you know...''

''Wake up, Tony, which kind of person do you think I am ? I don't live in a depressing world !''

''No ! I mean… I'm just not used to see so much white, and…''

''My lab coat is white !''

''Yeah, but you're forced to we…ouch !''

''I think your cake is wonderful, Abby'' Ziva retorted. ''Can we have some, I'd love to taste it ?''

''Sure !'' she answered. ''But first I want McGee to eat it and tell me what he thinks of it !'' she added, slapping Tony's hand.

''I'm alright, Abby, he can have mine.''

''No, McGee, it's your birthday ! I even put some raspberry coulis around, especially for you !''

 _''Abby…''_ Gibbs sighed at the sight of her, nearly crying. ''Alright, McGee. Eat that piece of cake, or you'll have worse to deal with than tears.''

''On it, boss.'' Tim smiled and pushed his fork inside the cake. He felt the fruits and chocolate softly enter his mouth, the different sugary levels tasting better and better as he was swallowing them. ''Abby…that's _delicious_.''

''Great'' Tony interrupted her answer. ''Now I definitely want to try it. But only a little bit, Abbs'' he seriously added, rubbing his shirt. ''You know I work out...''

''Yeah, right'' she chuckled, cutting a smaller piece for him.

Tim watched them fight with delight, Tony unsatisfied with the size of his food and Abby visibly offended, uselessly guessing another reason for that. He took another bite of his birthday cake, discovering again its amazing taste.

''Boss…would it be too much if I was proposing a piece to Director Vance ?''

''I guess he won't complain about that. Go.''

''Thanks, boss.''

Gibbs watched him leave in the stairs' direction, amused and still a bit proud as well to see how much his agent's kindness hadn't change throughout the years. He even had taken some more for Cynthia…he finally refocused on Tony and Abby's argument, the man still acting as if he was the new bodybuilder in town looking for support.  
...A heavy noise suddenly made them all jump, Tony immediately dropping his fork and plate on the floor, the whole team running to these same stairs Tim had just started to climb.

''McGee !''

Gibbs instantly grabbed the banister and knelt down as soon as he arrived next to Tim, almost unconscious. He dived a hand in his pocket and took out his phone.

''Tony, call 911 !''

The agent caught the item, obeyed with no hesitation and dialed. Jethro softly slapped Tim's cheeks, trying to keep him awake.

 _''Boss…what…''_

''Don't try to speak, just stay with me. We're calling an ambulance. Breathe, McGee. Breathe.''

Ducky and Palmer approached the pale Tim and begun doing their best until someone could fully be in charge of their friend, their colleague's throat having pain to swallow, his eyelids now constantly hesitating to open or close...

''What the hell is going on…!'' Abby really started to cry, this time, Ziva doing her best to support her. ''Is it my cake that…''

 _''Abby, stay away from it !'_ ' Jethro almost yelled at her, hearing the sobs instantly increase.

Gibbs only took a last, quick look at her before refocusing on Tim, although he would have given everything to wrap his arms around her shoulders. Once again, he had spoken and he had failed : yes, he had promised Abby there wouldn't be any new dead body to work on, on McGee's birthday, and now he wasn't really sure if he could keep that promise.


	5. Vance in charge

''Who had an access to your laboratory, Miss Sciuto ?'' Director Vance calmly asked, although there clearly was some strength in the sound of his voice.

''I don't know !'' Abby started to cry. ''Everyone who has a badge at NCIS, I guess…'' she continued, panicked.

''Then I want to have a look at all the tapes. I want to see every person who entered Miss Sciuto's work area from the moment she first left till now, even further in time, if necessary. Rooms, corridors, Navy Yard included. Everything coming from these fridges are considered non-viable until we have a proof of the contrary. Even analyze the atmosphere, if there is a need, every corner of that place.'' A few men nodded and left, so he turned back and faced the second woman around. ''Cynthia, the tapes. Anyone in charge has to watch them. And I want you to contact as well all the people in charge of the cleaning. Any unavailability will have direct consequences.''

''Yes, sir.''

''Miss Sciuto, anything to add ?''

''I…I put all the ingredients myself'' she said, trying to calm down. ''At home, and…at my lab. Director, I can't have made a mistake, I…''

Leon immediately grabbed his phone, cold as stone, and dialed the Security number.

''I want a whole team of agents at Mrs Sciuto's place, _right now_. I need a full analysis for any presence of poison, solid, liquid, or gaseous, and fingerprints as well, inside and outside. Please transmit my instructions and wait for my call for further orders.''

He hung up the phone and faced a new Abby, looking more scared than ever.

''Director Vance, you can't make them go to…''

Jethro suddenly went out of the elevator and entered the bullpen, stressed and furious.

''Ah, Gibbs'', Vance reflexively called him by his name, still looking so calm and in a hurry. He crossed his arms behind his back and let him approach them. ''Everything alright, outside ?''

''What's wrong with Abby ?'' he asked without listening.

''Gibbs, they're running a full examination at my place, they think I tried to kill Tim !''

''Leon.''

''In my office, Gibbs'' Vance coldly ordered, already heading to the stairs.

Jethro sighed and took a note from his pocket, holding it to Abby.

''Have a drink and stay here, Abbs. I'm coming back.''

'' _I said 'my office', Special Agent Gibbs_ '' the voice insisted from upstairs. _''Now !''_

Jethro quickly climbed the stairs and walked into Vance's office like a silent raged dog ready to kill. Leon then pressed the so famous button turning the space into a Secret Defense one, and the real verbal fight finally happened.

''She is scared, Leon, and someone from your own team, so do not treat her as if she was some kind of stranger you never had the chance to meet !''

Vance pushed a strong hand against his wooden desk and raised another one in the hair, trying not to explode.

''Oh, all my apologies, Agent Gibbs, would you have preferred me to let her go and grab something for lunch when she, herself, brought something between our walls which almost killed a whole NCIS floor ! You should be thankful again that I let her stay inside, under our protection, rather than sending her away in a cold interrogation room !''

''You can't be serious, Leon…''

''Oh, trust me, Gibbs, when I say I am truly serious about that…''

''She's just a kid, Leon !''

''Miss Sciuto is a graduated woman with full honors, with a triple major in sociology, criminology, and psychology. She knows as much how to save the planet from hitmen than how to make a bomb with damn cleaning products ! Should I remind you of Agent Lee !'' Leon added as he noticed Jethro ready to fight more. ''Now my job is to think of any possibilities, and this, whether or not I know the ones who might be involved into a terrorist attack.''

Gibbs simply pointed a finger at him, already on the move.

''Abby is _not_ a terrorist, Leon, and you'd better open that door again right now.''

''You find me as shocked as you are by the situation, Jethro, but don't forget one thing : one bite of Agent McGee's cake taken by all of us, and there was no more team on your side anymore, _including yourself !_ ''

Jethro pressed the handle once security got deactivated, and took a last look at the man.

''She'll have to be interrogated eventually, Agent Gibbs.''

''Abby's innocent. And I'll prove it.''

— — — — — — — — — —

 _''Agent DiNozzo ?''_

''It's me'' he instantly answered and stood up, waiting for some news.''

''Hello, My name is Dr Framer. You cannot stay with Agent McGee for now. As expected, we had some complication due to the recent poisoning.''

''He only ate a couple bites, how is it possible to…''

''So that's the proof the poison was high enough to kill.''

So they were right at NCIS. _That was serious._

''Okay'' he said, rubbing his eyes. ''Just tell me he's gonna survive , then… I…''

The woman invited him to sit down again, a comforting hand behind his back.

''You look exhausted, Agent DiNozzo. I think you should drink something.''

The doctor walked a few steps in the hospital's corridor and brought him a glass of water.

''I know you are worried to death about your friend, but may I ask you if you're sleeping well ?''

Tony really felt like it wasn't appropriate at all to speak about his own sleeping troubles when his friend might be soon forced to do so forever, and it was clear that the doctor next to him was mostly trying to make him think about something else, but he had to admit that it was doing him some good in the end.

''Well'' he finally begun answering, smiling. ''My job isn't the calmest on earth, and it's a quite stressful one, as you can imagine, and truth is that we really worked night and day on a very hard case recently, but things became extremely calm a few days ago, for once… We didn't work very late, then, I even had the time to go on a date'' he said, chuckling.

''Date went bad ?'' the woman asked, half curious.

''No. Date went well, actually. But I drank and completely blacked out after some time.''

''Then you should really take care of yourself, Agent DiNozzo.''

''I didn't drink that much, I just think I was…''

''Tired ? Yes, believe me when I say that I've been taking care of a lot of patients dealing with alcoholic troubles, and that you do not look like them at all, although I know as well that a blackout can occur with only a few glasses when the patient is very…''

''Tired ?''

They both smiled as he pronounced the word, and the woman patted him on the shoulder.

''I won't tell you to leave, obviously you're far from doing it, but I'm sorry I can't let you see him for now. You can either pray for your friend or try taking a nap on this chair... I'll come back later.''

''Thanks.''

Tony watched her leave and pressed both hands against his face, rubbing his eyes, tired. He probably did or thought about something different, but his eyelids suddenly closed as he was now feeling a bit more relaxed, still panicked inside and worried about a millionth thing, but yeah…talking had done him some good. He discreetly yawned a few times and fell asleep right away...

 _…You have 9 new missed calls._

Tony grabbed the phone without looking at it and slowly faced the light of the hospital's corridor again, wondering where he was. Then, the painful reality came back to his mind and he remembered.

''I need fresh air.''

Tony stood up, heavy as stone, and headed outside, wondering why a couple of hours of sleep in a chair looked like weeks in Hell. He was feeling so exhausted…at least, the shock of McGee's poisoning was lower than before…for now. No news, good news, right ?

 _''Come on, McGee, hold on'_ ' he whispered to himself, rubbing his eyes again, approaching the exit.

He stared at the sky, disappointed. How could the weather be so sunny when someone was about to die ?

 _''Agent DiNozzo !''_ a voice suddenly called him, followed by numerous shadows.

His heart brusquely stopped beating for a second or two. _That was it._ McGee was dead, and they were here to spread the word.

''Who's asking ?'' he said, almost groaning.

He made a few steps along the stairs, but the voice suddenly became violent.

''Agent DiNozzo ! Freeze !''

''Wh…''

Now he was awake again. _Really awake_. He watched the faces and guns pointed at him with astonishment.

''NCIS'' Tony slowly lifted his coat, revealing his badge. ''We're on the same team, gu…''

 _''I said 'Freeze' !'_ '

Tony slowly raised his hands in the air, this time, and waited for an explanation to this unbelievable situation, but the man who had just given the order was already using the handcuffs, delivering the speech no one would ever wish to hear in his life…

''Antony DiNozzo, I arrest you for attempt of murder against the NCIS. You have the right to…''

''Are you insane…! _Hey !_ What are you d…''

''Everything you say may be used against…''

''Hey ! You hear me ? What the hell is…let me go ! _I said let me go !_ ''


	6. Fingerprints

_(Hours ago...)_

Vance entered the lab and observed the numerous men work around him. He reflexively crossed both hands behind his back and immediately approached the one he really wanted to talk to. The young employee put on his glasses again and focused on the screen.

''Everything well, Mr Rowanson ?''

''People over here are looking for fingerprints, Director. They decided to start with the fridges and products areas. Well, I know there is a lot of people going on in here, but besides Miss Sciuto and the MEs, I guess no one is supposed to access, touch, or remove anything before getting an authorization for it, right ?''

''I know someone who wouldn't share that opinion...''

''That would be perfect anyway. _Basically_ , we need our criminal to have approached the cake, or any of the products, here. If we are lucky enough...''

''...there'll be less work to do.''

''Yeah, that, too, Director'' he said, smiling. ''Is Miss Sciuto cleaning her lab everyday ?''

''She's supposed to.''

''Good. Then we'll definitely have a better chance to find our guy. Less probabilities means more probabilities !''

''What if the product wasn't exactly in the cake, but outside ?'' he continued.

''Like in the air ? I seriously doubt it, at least nothing was found about that. On the contrary, if this isn't in the cake, that leads us to maybe further in time, and that'd really be a problem. Maybe contamination ? But I guess they're dealing with the tapes as well upstairs, so we might be able to compare our results and progress faster than expected.''

 _''Here it is.''_

Rowanson reflexively grabbed the new proof someone was holding to him and moved a hand in Leon's direction, inviting him to come closer.

''That is just a perfect timing for you, Director, now let's try finding to whom these fingerprints belong...let me see...right...it still might be a bit long. I will send you what I found as soon as I know anyway. ''

''I can stay.''

''Alright, then. Let's go...''

 _Match found._

Six seconds. That's the time it took for the message to appear, right in the middle. Vance sighed with desperation but tried not to show anything, as usual. He stared at the two words again, wondering if he could change them with the simple help of his mind.

 _Match found._

''Wow...'' Rowanson exclaimed, taking off his glasses. ''That was...quick.''

''Quick as a flash, indeed, Mr Rowanson. If you may excuse me... Please keep working, gentlemen" he added and left, heading to the elevator, nervous. He grabbed his phone and dialed. "Cynthia, anything new about the tapes ?"

 _"I was just about to call you, Director. It was reported that Miss Sciuto left NCIS at 3:05pm. Mr Vickers came in for the extra cleaning at 5:07pm, and Miss Sciuto accessed the building again at 6:24 pm. Thirty-minute stay."_

"Thank you Cynthia. Anyone who might have accessed the lab after she left ?"

 _"Actually, yes, Director. We have noticed two visits. 7:09pm and 11:56pm."_

"Let me guess about the first one...is it..."

 _"...Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, Director."_

Vance exhaled for the umpteenth time of the day, wondering how much time it would take for him to finally explode...if he wasn't fired by the end of the week, that'd definitely be a miracle. But he faced reality again and realized one thing : there had been another visitor. One last hope before he should do something irrevocable.

''Please tell me the second visitor is a notorious criminal, Cynthia ?''

 _''Well...''_

''What is it, Cynthia ? Am I gonna wait any longer ?''

 _''Director, we did have two visits, but...it was Agent DiNozzo, who came in both times.''_

Leon immediately hung up the phone and dialed another number.

 _''Gibbs.''_

''Gibbs ? Leon Vance. We have a problem.''

— — — — — — — — — —

 _(Now...)_

''DiNozzo !''

 _''Hey, sir, you can't go in there...''_

Tony instantly stood up as he heard the voice, as if to prove his allegiance to the one coming, hopeful.

''Hey boss'' he said, grabbing the bars of his cells between fingers. ''So good to hear from you, I couldn't wait for a good quarrel...''

He tried to smile but Gibbs' eyes were more terrifying than ever, this time. He swallowed in pain and waited for a head slap...but he didn't get any.

''You think it's funny, DiNozzo ?''

Tony seemed to hesitate for a second until his face suddenly revealed the weaknesses he had been trying so much to hide. He had never seen him that mad.

''Boss, I was waiting for some news, for McGee... I...I didn't get a chance to know anything. Is he...''

''Tell me anything, Tony. _Anything !_ ''

''And what do you want me to say...?''

Gibbs approached the bars so close he could perfectly hear his agent breathe. His voice unexpectedly turned lower as he then talked to Tony as if to say some confidences.

''Tell me anything, DiNozzo. The most disgusting sexual position, or whatever you did with that woman until the sun goes up, tell me about the stupidest jokes you told her all night, tell me...''

Tony raised both arms in the air, speechless.

''Why, boss ? I mean, wh... _why_ does this even count ?''

Now Gibbs' terrible voice was back again.

''Because that bullshit would prove your innocence, you idiot ! I don't care anymore about you, bragging about your umpteenth night of sex, DiNozzo ! I _need_ you to provide me an alibi ! _Midnight_ '' he added after some time. ''Tell me anything you did from midnight.''

''I...I'm sorry, boss, I-I can't...''

 _''And why that, Tony ?''_ Gibbs asked him, coming closer again.

Tony rubbed his eyes and neck, doubtful. He could feel the sweating along his forehead ready to join his cheeks, now really conscious of the troubles and consequences of his acts. He swallowed and gazed into Jethro.

''Because I can't remember...''

A hand brusquely caught the agent's collar and pushed him another time against the cold bars.

''Then you'd better get your memory back, DiNozzo, 'cause you're accused of murder attempt against the USA, and you're gonna spend your life in jail for that... _if_ you get lucky enough.''

Tony felt the grip leave his collar and then watched Jethro go away from him exactly as he came, furious... He let himself fall on what seemed to be a horrible bed and cried.


	7. Dark day

_(One week later...)_

Leon Vance stared at the red, automatic message moving around the bullpen, reminding everyone the current ''Alert'' status of the place.

 _'No food, nor any extra drinks, besides the ones coming from the machines, are allowed at NCIS until further notice. No food, nor any extra drinks, besides the ones coming from the machines, are allowed at NCIS until further notice. No food, nor...'_

He sighed and took a large look at the place, trying to think about nothing...but how could he ? He had barely left his office since that very dark day, and that floor, surrounded by ugly, orange wallpaper, had almost become his only space for stretching his legs.

''Leon ?''

''Oh, hello Gibbs.''

''Are you alright ?''

''I just received an answer to your question. Agent David and yourself can reintegrate the floor, including Drs Palmer and Mallard, downstairs.''

''And Abby ?''

"Not for now, Gibbs. As you may know, she's still suspected of complicity of murder, with...''

He stopped in the middle of his sentence, conscious of the troubles he was putting back on the table.''

''You've checked her lab, Leon. Your men went to her place, everything's been analyzed _everywhere_...''

''Slow down, Gibbs. It isn't only _my_ decision. Indeed, the Secretary of the Navy thinks...''

''You were looking for real proofs in order to arrest someone ? You've got DiNozzo. Now, whether or not you might like it, there hadn't been anything found concerning Abby, so why can't she be part of the team again ! I know the law, Leon, this is just a manipulation to keep the secrets hidden, as long as there isn't anything to prove, she can contest the...''

''But the fact is that she did agree with that proposal, Gibbs. So from now, we'll have Mr Rowanson replacing Miss Sciuto, and this, for as long as necessary.''

Jethro watched the one who had dared interrupt him with that painful truth, speechless. He furrowed both eyebrows and approached the NCIS' Director a bit closer, furious in the inside.

''What do you mean, by 'she agreed' ?''

Vance crossed both arms behind his back and raised his chest, already exhausted by this conversation.

''The Secretary of the Navy told her she'd better stay out of it until we find out more about what happened, opinion supported by her lawyer as well. In fact, any further proof Miss Sciuto might find about any new case going on could be considered non-acceptable by a judge, according to the recent accusations against her. On the contrary, taking that decision, Miss Sciuto shows how much she is cooperating, and...''

''...and I guess that lawyer has something to do with the Navy, uh, Leon ? Yeah, they like us to be... _cooperating_.''

''Gibbs.''

 _''They always like us to stay out of it !''_

Jethro pronounced his last few words, already heading to the elevator, dialing a number... He entered the silver cage and carelessly watched both doors close in front of him, thoughtful. He then pressed the item against his ear and listened to Abby's voice.

 _''Hi, there, you've reached Abby's voicemail ! I'm not available at the moment, but please leave a message and...''_

''Abby'' he ordered. "Answer that phone !''

Then he instantly hung up and hit a corner of the elevator, frustrated.

— — — — — — — — — —

Jethro closed the door behind him and pressed 'play' again, with an unexplainable peace. The video started and he watched it for the umpteenth time of the week, thinking about something else, another painful memory to now add to the list...

 _"I have an explanation for that first time, boss ! I had forgotten my jacket in Abby's lab, I needed it back for my date ! Then I saw the cake in the fridge, and...oh, okay, boss, you can judge me if you want, but hey, that's me ! Anthony DiMierda, the dumbest guy in town, always here, when he shouldn't !"_

 _"I couldn't agree more..."_

 _"I simply opened it...I was just starving, and...oh my, that is so ridiculous..."_

 _"Yes, it is, DiNozzo !"_

 _"Boss, I'm so tired, they interrogated me all night, I already told them everything I knew."_

 _"Not everything, DiNozzo !"_

 _"Okay. I touched the cake, and this, everyone saw it on the tapes. I barely put my finger on it, but come on, why would have I licked something that would be supposed to kill me ?"_

 _"That's the thing, DiNozzo. You tasted it before coming back at midnight."_

 _"Gosh, I already told you I couldn't remember that second time..."_

 _"This isn't an alibi !"_

 _"I'm gonna be crazy, boss, I'm serious ! I can't..."_

 _"You think you are turning crazy, Tony ? That is just the beginning of your nightmare."_

 _"But why, then, why on earth would have I asked for a damn piece of cake the following day if..."_

 _"Terrorists do die sometimes with their victims...you could have faked as well, to make of yourself a witness and not a criminal."_

 _"Boss, how can you...!"_

 _"Then give me an alibi, for God sake !"_

...Gibbs focused again on the small screen in front of him, leaving the extra memory. He then watched the little scene he had already seen so many times, Anthony DiNozzo entering that lab and approaching the fridge, visibly tired and certainly drunk...doing something irrevocable. Jethro quickly rubbed his face and wondered if he should retry calling Abby. There was Tony as well, to maybe retalk to...and Ziva, Ducky and Palmer, to tell them to go back to work... But _what_ work ? What would they do ? What _could_ they do if there wasn't a new case to work on ? He had always fought for his team, and this, non-officially if necessary, but proofs in here were the only they could use to work on, and they clearly weren't good at all... He sighed and sat down on a corner of the table, feeling exhausted. So many people to call, and he didn't want to call anyone.


	8. Are you alright ?

Ziva's running shoes entered the bullpen with a quick movement, the woman's hips shaking a bit as she was listening to some music. She closed her eyes for a second, focused on her favorite part of the track.

''Hello.''

Ziva jumped and immediately took off her earphones, surprised. She reflexively squinted and slowly dropped her back next to her desk, now suspicious.

''Who are you ?''

''Special Agent Gustave Bower, Madam.''

''It is 'Miss', and I am Special Agent Ziva David.''

''Nice to meet you, then, Ma...Miss. I mean, Agent David.''

What looked like a small smile appeared along the woman's lips as she noticed the evident stress. _She was definitely too good at it._

''So...Agent Bower'' she said, finally walking in his desk's direction. ''Why are you here, again ?''

''Replacing Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. Director's order.''

''For how long ?'' she questioned him instantly, turning cold.

''Don't know anything about that.''

Ziva pinched her lips and stared at her watch. _Still early._

''And when did you arr...''

The sound of the elevator interrupted her, and she brusquely turned back, wondering if it was...

 _''McGee !''_

Tim faced the bullpen he hadn't seen in days, maybe weeks, feeling a bit lost...the orange wallpaper hadn't changed, nor Ziva, from what he could see. He noticed a shadow near Tony's space and didn't know how he really felt about that. Was Tony back, already ? Back at all ? He silently ordered his legs to move forward, his coat hanging on his arm, and he finally arrived near Ziva, smiling.

''Tim, I am so glad to see you...you look great !''

The shadow turned into a real man. _Not DiNozzo. Someone else._ He told Ziva something quite similar and waited for the man to introduce himself. Or at least for someone to do so. Should he come and say 'hi' ? Should he...

''Tim, this is Special Agent Gustave Bower.''

Tim nodded as he shook the man's hand and walked to his desk, strangely facing the computer, mouse and keypad. Why did everything look so different when nothing in here had changed at all ? Maybe he should speak first. Then, no questions. At least, not for now.

''Are we working on a new case ?'' he asked.

''I don't know. Actually, we almost did two days ago, when a man with a Marine uniform was found dead, but it turned out that he wasn't a Marine at all. Some kid with a costume. Twenty-five years old. Accident.''

''Okay.''

Ziva crossed her arms and hesitated to sit down, half pressing her body against a corner of her own desk, wondering if she should, maybe, approach Tim's one... Maybe she could speak again about the fake Marine. That'd still be something to say.

 _''Is someone dead in here ? Why don't I hear anybody work ?''_

Ziva definitely stood up and walked to her seat, logging in.

''Special Agent Gibbs ? Nice to meet you, I am Special Agent Bower'' Gustave immediately begun explaining, noticing Gibbs' surprised eyes.

Jethro barely watched the hand that was held in front of him and already started grabbing his things.

''New body ?'' Ziva asked.

''Dead Officer in Anacostia. Call Ducky and Palmer.''

She nodded and immediately dialed a number, and Gibbs discreetly watched Tim as he headed to the elevator, pressing a palm on his shoulder.

''Hey, McGee.''

''Yes, boss ?''

''It's good to have you back.''

''Thanks, boss'' Tim answered and smiled, shaking his hand.

Gustave Bower silently observed the scene and sighed, entering the elevator with the new team he was now part of... He had heard a lot about Gibbs. _And everything was true._

— — — — — — — — — —

''I am still surprised, after so many years, to see the savagery a man can do to another man...'' Ducky said and sighed, staring at the body. ''Oh, but do not worry, Officer, we will take good care of you and treat you with the respect your person truly deserve...''

Tim heard the sound coming from the small machine and raised his eyes, looking at Gibbs.

"His name is Officer Swanson, boss, thirty years in the Navy. Married with no kids."

Jethro took off his NCIS cap for a second, as if to convey his condolence to the dead man, and put it back on his head, observing.

"I would say our man passed away about two days ago, but, again, I will know more about him once he will be lying on one of my autopsy tables. Mr Palmer, if you may give me a hand...''

''Of course, Dr Mallard.''

Gibbs nodded and made a few steps, now staring at the place...

''We're done with the pictures, boss. Anything else we should do ?'' Tim asked.

''No. Let's go back to NCIS and find a list of suspects we can get our hands on and interrogate.''

 _''Same old, same old...''_ Ziva pronounced, heading back to the vehicle, followed by Bower.

Jethro approached his young agent and put a palm on his shoulder, like before. He faced him and silently tried reading his mind, unfortunately with no result.

''Do you need anything, boss...?''

''No. Do you need anything, McGee ?''

''No.''

Tim sighed but tried not to show anything. That was the shortest and stupidest conversation he had ever been part of.

''You know you can talk to me anytime. To us all.''

Now that was making a bit more sense, although he wasn't really sure about the 'all' thing. Technically, DiNozzo was still in jail, and Abby replaced by Rowanson, so...

''I know'' he reflexively answered. ''I'm alright.''

''Are you sure about that ?''

''I am'' Tim instantly confirmed, tired by this useless conversation.

What was the point, really ? You ask a question and then the other one do the same ? Do you, I do, are you, am I ? When Gibbs finally seemed to be over with that very strange discussion, he simply nodded and joined Ziva and his new colleague.

''Oh, yes, I do know what you think, Jethro...'' Ducky suddenly said from behind, watching the agent enter the vehicle.

Gibbs furrowed both eyebrows and kept staring at the sky, thoughtful.

''Do you, Duck ?''

''I think I do, Jethro.''


	9. McPerfect

''Officer Swanson received honors on two occasions, boss'' Tim begun speaking as he saw Gibbs coming, standing up from his seat. ''No report of any trouble, either.''

 _''I've got something as well, Gibbs !''_ Ziva stood up, too, approaching Jethro's desk. ''Money transfered on Mrs Swanson's account every month, since June, 1rst.''

''Why would a husband need to send money to his wife ?''

 _''I have a theory about that.''_

They all suddenly stared at the new one in the team, visibly curious.

''Picture that. They're still married on the paper, but about to break up. Mrs Swanson doesn't want to divorce, so he starts sending her money to keep her away, until they finally come to an agreement.''

Ziva pressed a finger on her cheek, ready to retort anything, but Bower continued right away, as if to answer her silent question.

''Officer Swanson inherited his father's fortune two years ago. That'd be quite a loss for her, believe me'' he continued, pressing his thumb on the remote control. ''Swan Corp is a very big company, his owner was a giant of the real estate's field.''

''Estimation of the fortune ?''

''Millions.''

''Possible'' Gibbs then simply pronounced, already heading to the elevator.

Tim and Ziva watched Jethro walk away from them and took a deeper look at the man who had just spoken. Gustave immediately noticed them, staring at him, and waited then for some fresh opinion.

''So...? He said 'possible'. What does it mean, in Gibbs' language ?''

''It means that your theory isn't bad at all'' Ziva answered, revealing a smile.

 _''Really ?''_

''Gibbs has been married three times. Let's say that it rings a bell'' Tim chuckled.

"Lucky me, then.''

Ziva walked back to her work area and typed a few words on her keypad, continuing her research. Gustave and Tim imitated her and Bower dared asking a question, curious.

''So I guess he's not...''

''Not anymore, no'' Ziva confirmed.

''And he won't...''

''...make that mistake again, no'' Tim added.

''That's interesting.''

Silence instantly filled the place after that brief interlude, the sound of everyone typing and clicking turning into a new kind of work symphony, but if no one could really explain it with words, they all knew inside that something had changed. Ziva took a quick look at Tim, who looked back at her... Gustave Bower wasn't Anthony DiNozzo, but he wasn't that bad either.

— — — — — — — — — —

 _(Two days later...)_

Tim turned the key insid the lock and softly pushed the door of his apartment, feeling a bit tired. He then directly headed to the kitchen, looking for some fresh water. He drank it straight away and heard the usual melody.

''Hello ?''

The automatic message resonated on the other side of the line and he accepted the call.

 _''Guess who it is...''_ someone chuckled, probably as nervous as him.

''Tony.''

Tim didn't know if he had answer in a questioning way, or if the sigh who had just left his lungs had betrayed his current feelings.

 _''I was sure you'd be home. Did you have a nice day ?''_

Tim could perfectly picture his previous colleague rub his face with desperation...asking him how he felt about his day was _so_ not DiNozzo.

''It was alright, we keep working on...'' Tim stopped in the middle of his sentence, remembering they weren't really like colleagues anymore. ''Well, you know...things.''

 _''Good.''_

Tim swallowed in pain and prayed for any new subject to come to his mind, feeling the conversation turning into something clearly awkward.

 _''How do you feel, McGee ?''_

The young agent listened to the question as if it had been some kind of dead arrest pronounced against him, something he hadn't wished to hear from Tony. That was so... _complicated_.

''I'm good. Busy. Busy, but good.''

 _''Good.''_

''Yeah.''

Silence filled the space again and Tim felt thankful for not standing right in front of Tony at this very moment. That would have been _so_ much worse.

 _''You think I did it, don't you.''_

Tim reflexively scratched his head and uselessly stared at his feet, trying to look away from nothing. Even facing his dark apartment seemed impossible to do.

''I don't. Of course, not. I'm sure we'll find something.''

God. How hard was it to swallow his own saliva. Maybe he was speaking too fast.

 _''You doubt it.''_

''What ?''

Stupid question he'd certainly answer to, but at least he had gotten a second or two in order to save time. To run away from what he didn't want to talk about.

 _''I know you, McGee, you want to believe me, but there is a little voice in your head, doubting, and you can't help it. You've watched the tapes. You don't want to think that way but you still think I'm guilty, somehow.''_

Another drop of heavy saliva inside his throat. He definitely needed to focus on something else.

''Tony, I am very sorry, but...I still have a lot to work on. You know, the case, and...''

 _''Yeah. Of course, I understand.''_

''But we'll talk later, alright ? Just...take care of yourself, okay ?''

 _''I will, McGee. Thanks.''_

''Bye, Tony.''

 _''Bye.''_

A new silence signaled the end of the call and Tim immediately dropped his phone somewhere, _anywhere._ He had spoken too fast again... He needed to focus on something else. _Work._ Yeah, he'd work tonight. _Maybe all night._ He took back his things and left his apartment as if he had never come, heading back to NCIS.


	10. Bower's theory

Tim and Gustave both slammed their door and left the dark car, pen in hands. They walked along the small alley leading to the house and Bower rang the bell. The wooden rectangle almost instantly opened and the NCIS duet faced the woman, ready to leave.

''Mrs Swanson ?''

''Yes ?'' she answered, looking embarrassed.

''Special Agents McGee and Bower, we are here for...''

 _''Are we interrupting something ?''_ Bower spoke before he had a chance to finish, noticing the suitcase. ''You had somewhere to go to ?''

''Just meeting an old aunt for a couple days in the South. Why ?''

Tim furrowed an eyebrow and made a step forward, facing her.

''I'm sorry, Mrs Swanson, but I'm afraid you're gonna have to delay your trip. We need to talk to you.''

The woman reflexively dropped what she had kept in hand and felt her arms tense instantly, as if she had guessed the reason why they were now standing in front of her house.

''Something happened with Gregory, am I right ? He did get the time to...''

''What do you mean, Mrs Swanson ?''

She painfully exhaled, thinking deeply about the so expected truth, and invited them to come inside. Tim and Gustave then discovered the lightful living-room and walked to their host's sofa, observing the woman sit as well. Mrs Swanson nervously rubbed her hands, feeling anxious.

''What is going on, Mrs Swanson ?'' Tim asked, the calmest way possible. ''Is anyone trying to hurt you ?''

''I should have left already...Gregory told me...''

''What did he tell you ?'' Bower questioned her.

 _''To leave.''_

''You mean your husband tried to contact you days ago ?'' Tim continued.

''Yes... Well, that was a rule between him and I, if he was telling me to...'' She stopped and scarily stared at the two men in front of her, her brain now putting two and two together. ''Wait...why are you speaking about 'days ago' ?'' She kept watching Tim and Gustave with a growing desperation, their faces now turning sorry and almost pitiful... ''Do you mean he couldn't have contacted me more recently...? Is he...''

Mrs Swanson put a palm against her mouth and tried to silence the sob coming. Tim discreetly swallowed in pain, keeping it as professional as possible, and finally slowly opened his mouth, ready to deliver the unwanted message they had came for in the first place.

''That was the reason why we were here, Mrs Swanson. Your husband, Mr Swanson, has been found dead by NCIS. I am very sorry for your loss, Madam.''

Tim and Gustave quickly glanced at each other as they watched her react to the news, thinking same. The sobs didn't seem fake at all.

''Tell us more about what happened... You just said you had received a message, and that you should leave.''

The woman dried a few tears and took a deep breath, focusing.

''Gregory and I had a code. If he was feeling like he could be in danger, then I had to follow the plan. Grab the minimum things, take the car, and leave. We were prepared for that. We have a house in the South, which belonged to my aunt. She's not living anymore, but we inherited the house, so...''

''Why would you be in danger ? Because of your husband's role in the Navy ? Any dangerous mission he told you about, recently ?''

Mrs Swanson softly chuckled, drying a few additional tears falling on her cheeks.

''Strangely, no...'' She smiled and took a look at Bower, feeling a bit more confident. ''Speaking of succession again, my father-in-law was quite an important man in his job. His company Swan Corp worked on numerous, expensive building projects throughout the decades, and Gregory knew a lot of people might have bad plans for him.''

''What kind of plan ?'' Bower asked, curious.

''We had to fire the company's right arm, John Fedler. Gregory needed someone to take care of Swan Corp, as he couldn't fully be in charge of it, as you can imagine. But John started to corrupt the data, and take advantage of the client portfolio...we had a lot of troubles with him until we finally managed to get rid of him. This, with the multiple investors constantly proposing to buy back the company... I don't know what happened in these people's head, but maybe they were scared that Gregory might have some building projects with the Navy.''

''Did he ?''

''I don't think he ever cared at all about that.''

''We noticed some money transferred to your account, by the company, although we couldn't find anything that would actually relate you to the company'' Tim continued.

''It's alright, Mrs Swanson, take your time'' Gustave instantly comforted her, noticing new sobs coming.

''Thanks. And you can call me Katelyn'' she said, smiling a bit.

''Alright, Katelyn'' he spoke again, smiling back at her. ''Why was this money transferred to your account for several months ?''

''Gregory had received many threats recently. Oh, he knew that was always like this, people cursing you to death but not actually _doing_ anything, but...he thought he could create a 'job' for me, then he could send me a salary and make me save some money in case there would be a reason to run away... The inheritance from my father-in-law was supposed to be exclusive, and...I don't know. With the experience we had with John, he was afraid, too, that people could access our accounts one day and use against him the fact that he was giving away his money to his wife...'' She sighed and raised her arms, looking anywhere, trying to avoid the tears. ''Gregory had more reasons to do what he was doing than the ones he tried to explain me, but...he knew what he was doing. He wasn't present a lot in the company, we had numerous fights the few times we were in public as well, as he was trying to deal with two working responsibilities... Gregory was a wonderful man, but a lot of people thought he didn't have the stomach to handle something big, like Swan Corp. Giving me a salary was, at least, an official alibi for me to get that money.'' She stared at her watch and seemed to be nervous...until she faced back reality again. ''So what do I do, Agent Bower, Agent McGee ? If my husband is already dead, like you said, who sent me that text, telling me I should leave now to our secret place ? Who the hell knows about it ?''

Tim watched her eyes turning terrified and took a look at the phone she was holding to him, Gustave imitating him.

''You will have to come with us to NCIS, Mrs Swanson. We will have to take your phone and ask you some further questions, to take your statement and know the address you were supposed to go to.''

''Everything will be alright, I promise'' Bower added, noticing again the woman's fear.

Tim didn't say a word and reflexively headed to the door, discreetly looking at his new colleague. If there was nothing written in the law, saying they had to comfort victims and potential guilty people during interrogations, Bower seemed to have made anything possible to make Katelyn feel at ease, the woman then having given them the answers they were really looking for.

''Good job, Gustave'' he whispered to the man when the duet approached him near the entrance.

Bower modestly nodded, in turn, and carefully opened the door, now focused on the outside.

''Car is over there, if you may follow us...''

The woman faced the outside again with a different point of view, this time, now desperately seeing the cold, but sunny weather she might have appreciated in the past, that ugly, careless light coming from the sun, proudly shining in the sky while others were dying under its rays.

''Oh, wait, I forgot to take something...''

Tim waited for her in front of the house while Bower walked down the alley and almost reached the pavement, dialing a number.

''Gibbs ? Bower. We're bringing back Mrs Swanson to NCIS. We might have to analyze the car, too, and send men to some place in the South. Alright. Thanks.'' He took a quick look at the vehicle and sighed, waiting for Tim and Katelyn to join him. ''Always a pleasure to talk to Leroy Jethro Gibbs !'' he chuckled, McGee smiling at him from his spot, feeling a bit sorry for him.

''I'm ready, gentlemen. Sorry for the delay.''

Tim nodded and reflexively pressed a hand behind her back, inviting her to follow them. Bower took the car's keys out of his pocket and jumped as McGee heard the unbelievable sound coming from Katelyn's vehicle, then voluntarily falling on their witness of the moment, protecting her from the explosion. He felt the pieces of glass cut his skin and the dark smoke enter his nostrils and share its polluted smell, the warmth coming from the flames nearby giving him the impression to burn... _A quick look at Mrs Swanson, who seemed unconscious._

 _''Gustave !''_ Tim desperately tried to shout, although there seemed to have no strength left inside his lungs. _''Gustave...y-you hear me ?''_

Tim pressed a palm on his chest, feeling his breath turning rarer. _A phone. His phone. Quickly. A last look at Mrs Swanson..._ He crawled and stopped in front of the tepid item, then his finger pressed a few buttons of the phone with a extreme slowness, until the voice he had expected finally answered the call.

 _''Gibbs.''_

Tim maybe tried to say something, but he didn't remember. He felt his body fall on the floor and instantly faced darkness.


	11. Real Dynamo

Tim rubbed his neck in pain, tired. _Coffee would do him some good, for once._ He pressed his last shirt buttons between fingers and put on his jacket. He could still remember it, that heavy smell coming from the previous explosion. _He'd change it, later. Now was time to work._

''McGee ? How are you feeling ?'' Ziva asked, entering the hospital room.

''Better'' he said, smiling. ''Doctor just told me I could go. They didn't find anything to worry about last night, hopefully I wasn't too close from the vehicle.''

''Hopefully you weren't.'' Ziva patted him on the shoulder and smiled at him, holding him his watch. ''Here, let me help.''

Tim discreetly stare at the scratch on the thin circle.

''Did Gibbs find John Fedler ? Is he still our suspect number one ?''

''Fedler wasn't found at his place, but Gibbs got a warrant, they're currently going over the house inch by inch.''

''Good. Did they already trace his phone ?''

''Rowanson tried a few hours ago, but phone was off.''

''I'll try to do something about that. Can you drive me to NCIS ?''

''Of course.''

— — — — — — — — — —

...Tim entered the bullpen, glad to face again a place he knew, that same ugly, orange wallpaper giving him back some confidence. He walked to his desk, Ziva imitating him, and let his body fall in the seat, already logging in.

''Just sent you the number'' Ziva said and smile, noticing Tim, ready to speak. ''Yeah, I can be quick, too.''

''Someone practiced while I was taking a nap in Bethesda...''

''Maybe I did.''

They both quickly smiled at each other before Tim finally typed John Fedler's number in the system.

''Is Mrs Swanson under our protection ?'' he asked, still focused on his screen and keypad.

''She is, McGee.''

''Good.''

Tim double clicked and brusquely raised his eyes in Ziva's direction, wondering.

''Her phone.''

''Slow down, McGee. Which phone are you talking about ?''

''Mrs Swanson's phone. Did they analyze hers ?'' he kept questioning her, standing up from his seat.

''No, Tim. I mean...I don't know.''

''Well, is it a yes or a no ?''

Ziva manipulated a dozen of papers, trying to answer that new question, disconcerted.

''Uh, it hasn't been reported that... You know, Mrs Swanson was quite grouchy when we found her, she couldn't remember...''

''Groggy, Ziva'' he instantly corrected her, quickly heading to the woman's desk, almost flying. ''Bower had it with him during the explosion, he took it from her before we left the house. They had created a link, she gave it to him before we went outside.''

Ziva stood up as well, approaching him.

''So what, do you think we can still get a chance to find it ? Still, it must be shred into pieces...''

Tim pointed a finger at her, his legs suddenly moving to the elevator. ''There's one hope. If the SIM card is still analyzable, I'll be able to access the data. If not, maybe I can work on the phone's circuit board and get some more infos about which model it is exactly, what kind of power it can support and which kind of software can be put on that type of model.''

 _''Can I help ?'_ ' Ziva almost shouted, a bit taken aback.

Tim entered the elevator for the second time of the day and immediately pressed the button leading to a deeper place, thinking clearer than ever.

''Mrs Swanson spoke about multiple investors trying to buy back the company. Try them all, if you didn't already do so, otherwise try finding the ones she's already met in person, and the ones her husband and her contacted, emails, phone calls...''

 _''No less...!''_ she exclaimed, regretting her previous question, her colleague disappearing behind both doors of the silver cage. She quickly rubbed her face, silencing a raging sigh coming, and took a large look at the space she was now standing in alone. ''Mark ?'' she suddenly called a young man, approaching. ''Feeling busy ?''

''Nope. Can I do something for you, Ziva ?''

''Actually...there might be a little something'' she strangely answered, softly stroking her hair.

— — — — — — — — — —

Gibbs entered the bullpen and faced his agent, visibly angry.

 _''Why...!''_

''What's wrong, Ziva ? You just realized the world was unfair ?''

She raised her eyes and slammed the phone on the desk, now cursing in Hebrew.

''They're all damn hiding behind confidentiality ! Isn't there a prescription when it comes to someone's death ? He was supposed to be their boss !''

''Why are you looking for the investors ? John Fedler is the priority.''

''I know'' she said, nodding. ''I just thought I might help Tim while the other team was taking care of Fedler's house. I'm not very good at puzzles. ''

''Tim's out ?''

''A couple hours ago, yes. He must be with Rowanson, or Ducky, maybe...he didn't tell. I just know he was looking for our woman's phone.''

''Phone's been found ?''

''Pieces of it, potentially.''

''Good'' Gibbs finally commented, taking a sip of his coffee. ''Keep contacting the investors while we keep an eye of Fedler's place, we can't say no to a few extra hands.''

''Less and less in the team, and still I feel we're not thinking by ourselves anymore...'' Ziva said and sighed.

''Don't give up, Agent David !'' he comforted her his own way, ready to leave. He pressed the button of the elevator and turned back for a second, noticing the man coming. ''You can ask Mark to give you a hand with this.''

Ziva immediately ran in order to join him and started whispering, scratching her ear.

 _''Well, I...''_

His blue eyes stared suspiciously at the woman, as if to hypnotize her.

''A problem, Ziva ?''

''Hmm, it seems that men do not really appreciate women...''

''Yes, Ziva...?'' Gibbs insisted, sighing.

''Well, using their charm for men to buy them coffee, and do some other...minor duties.''

Gibbs instantly smiled and took a new sip of his drink, the silver cage finally opening in front of him.

''Won't deny that...'' he chuckled. ''Hello, Mark'' he suddenly added, Ziva jumping as she faced the angry man walk nearby.

 _"Gibbs, wait...''_

Ziva clenched a fist and took a step backward, feeling a bit embarrassed.

''Hi, Mark. Sorry about...earlier.''


	12. Heartless

''Hey, boss.''

''Ah, hello, Agent Gibbs'' the second one added, both men focused on what used to be Abby's lab table, hundreds of dark pieces lying on it.

Tim closed one eye and raised the hand prisoner of his white glove in the air, now looking stupidly happy.

''What are you doing ?'' Gibbs asked, neutral.

''Mrs Swanson's phone. I found it.''

''What ? In the middle of this ?'' Jethro sighed, pointing a finger at the numerous pieces.

''The SIM card, boss" Tim explained, smiling. ''Look at this. The corners are a little damaged here and there, but I'm pretty sure I can still do something.''

''Well, I can't see anything anymore'' Rowanson continued. "I squinted my eyes so much I think I'm gonna have a headache.''

''Yeah, tell me about it...''

''Couldn't his telephone operator have given us a copy of his messages ?''

''I already called them, boss. Now what I hope to do with this is to find how someone hacked the item and pretended it was Officer Swanson speaking.''

Jethro took a new sip of his coffee and approached the duet a bit closer, staring at the small SIM card his agent was showing him. He furrowed an eyebrow and tried focusing more on the recent discovery, but things always remained the same when it came to electronics : he had no damn idea how this could be useful.

''Can you check the infos all by yourself ?'' he finally asked, ready to leave.

''Of course, boss'' Tim instantly answered, taking off his gloves. "I can work on it upstairs, I only need to...''

''I meant _him'_ ' Jethro corrected, raising his head in Rowanson's direction.

''Of course, Agent Gibbs.''

''Alright. Let's go, then.''

Tim froze for a second and took a look at Jethro, unsatisfied.

'' _Wait_ , boss, I can perfectly do it. As you know, accessing data is part of my job.''

''I know'' Gibbs simply pronounced and drank again, still inviting Tim to follow him.

McGee then obeyed and followed Jethro to somewhere he had no idea about, disappointed. Indeed, after all the time they had spent looking for that SIM card with Rowanson, including the fact that he had known about where was Mrs Swanson's phone...he couldn't help but feel frustration running through his veins.

— — — — — — — — — —

''Hey, Ducky'' Tim slightly smiled as he entered the ME's work place, still wondering why he was here.

''Ah, hello, young lad, I am glad to see you there. Well, then I leave you both to it, I am gonna look for Ziva and give a call to Mr Palmer, as well. Will you tell Mr Rowanson, too, or should I, Jethro ?''

Gibbs nodded a different way as if to say 'later' and silently watched Ducky head outside and leave the space they were all standing in.

''Wait, why is he... Boss, are we supposed to have a meeting or something ?''

''McGee.''

''Why there, boss ?'' Tim mumbled a bit. ''You know I usually feel sick in th...''

He felt the hand on his shoulder but no emotion came out of it. _Or maybe was he supposed to feel something, himself ?_ The palm left its spot after some time and he heard Jethro's footsteps move from the entrance to one of the silver refrigerated cells, finally understanding. Gibbs then begun speaking slowly, as if to show respect and comfort.

''Everyone is gonna come over and hear the news, but I thought you might be the first to know about this.'' He wrapped his hand around the handle. "They called earlier, after they contacted the family. McGee, Bo..."

"I know, boss."

Gibbs furrowed an eyebrow and momentarily delayed the small door's opening, facing his agent.

 _''How ?''_

Tim looked away from Jethro and pressed his fingers on one of Ducky's tables, thinking. He didn't really know if Gibbs' question was due to simple curiosity or a blame for what he already knew.

''When I've come to my senses in Bethesda, I asked for him. Boss, he was covered in burns, they weren't sure he would make it. They didn't say anything specific, but I'm not stupid, boss. I've faced enough situations to know how some people end up after such trauma.''

''Why didn't you call me ?''

''A nurse told me you visited me, when I was quite in a daze. I'm pretty sure you knew both diagnostics'' Tim added, slightly smiling.

''I mean after that. When you heard, yourself, about the pronostic.''

The young agent softly raised both arms in the air, thinking.

''I don't know. I was tired, and I needed to rest. That's all. It had been quite a day, you know.''

''I know.''

Jethro felt like Tim could have maybe said something else if they hadn't been bothered by anyone, but they both suddenly heard someone coming in their direction. A man quickly walked near the automatic doors and Tim immediately focused again on where he really was, making a few steps backward.

''Can I go and work on Mrs Swanson's phone, boss ? Please ? I'd rather not see him like this.''

Gibbs sighed and strangely looked at his agent, disconcerted. McGee's face almost seemed empty of any feeling, the man obviously being mostly preoccupied by his duties...

''Okay. Go.''

''Thanks, boss'' Tim answered straight away and nodded, his body's movement creating a new space between both doors.

He took a few steps forward until the voice resonated again inside.

 _''Hey''_ he said a bit louder, this time, Tim turning back in order to face him. ''Is this a joke, McGee ?''

''What's wrong...?''

''What's wrong ? _Really_ , McGee ? You're not gonna see the man who died in front of you, nor at least react to his death ?''

''I have to go, boss.''

''What, you're so busy you don't have two minutes to spare for your former colleague ?''

''Standing here next to Bower's dead body isn't gonna help find our killer'' Tim retorted, exhaling deeply.

"Which one, McGee ? You've been so busy working I don't even know which case you're on.''

''I'd better go'' Tim insisted, bored, already looking away.

' _'Yeah''_ Gibbs reacted from afar. _''Go home !''_

Tim didn't listen to the man's voice and barely noticed Ziva's face, feeling in the end extremely thankful for her arrival. He rubbed his neck and started to leave for the second time, reflexively nodding as he noticed a few more people coming behind. He then definitely let them stay together and simply headed upstairs, desperately looking for the bullpen. _Gibbs' tricky discussions... He wasn't soulless, he just didn't like to converse about dead people when there was work to do, that's all._


	13. Burnout

''Hey, McGee... How are you ?'' Ziva discreetly asked, approaching his desk.

''I'm good. How are you ?'' he questioned her as well, trying to show some concern.

''I'm okay. I mean...I know we didn't get the chance to know him a lot, but he was a good man.''

''He was'' Tim immediately confirmed.

Ziva slowly walked to her own work space and grabbed her backpack, still staring at Tim.

''Jimmy suggested we should have a drink to his memory. Ducky has started the autopsy, he said they might find additional proofs. He nicely proposed to do it while...Tim ? You hear me ?''

''Uh ?''

She stopped and stared at her colleague. The explosion had clearly marked him. Besides the obvious pain he might still be feeling, the circles under his eyes seemed to be darker than before. For as long as she could remember, she wasn't even sure she had ever asked him if he was alright. _Talking...what a difficult thing it could be, sometimes._

''Are you coming...?''

''Where ?'' Tim asked, still half listening, focused on his screen.

''Gibbs said we could go home, and since there's nothing new about the case... Fedler is still in the middle of nowhere, we don't even know _if_ he is the man we're looking for.''

''Don't worry. I'm working on the SIM card, we might find something. Case isn't over.''

''Couldn't you ask someone else to do it ? Bower is not with us anymore, usually I would have stayed, but this time I think it would do us some good to go out and take some fresh air...''

Tim's finger double-clicked on a link and he started a line of code. _He didn't want to listen._

 _''..._ that team has suffered enough these last few weeks, I think we deserve to take a break'' Ziva continued. ''Come and have a drink with me and Jimmy, it's on the horse.''

Tim couldn't help but chuckle, this time. He gathered some documents, taking a quick look at the woman.

''It's 'On the _house'_ , Ziva. Trust me, on the horse would be way more complicated."

 _"God...!''_ she started complaining, rolling her eyes. ''How am I supposed to know which word is good, there are _so_ many stupid idioms in this country !''

''I guess you've never tried learning French...''

''Not in the program for now.''

''Then never accept a tea-time invitation from Ducky.''

They both laughed and smiled at each other for a minute, enjoying a short, but lighter conversation for once, glad to see that there was still a person they knew in the team, a long-time colleague they could rely on in the middle of this endless masquerade... The female agent suddenly stopped and seemed to think about something else, if not _someone_ else... ''It is very strange to say so, but I think...''

''What do you think, Ziva ?'' Tim questioned her, feeling the discussion was back to serious again.

''Well...I think I miss Tony a bit.''

"Yeah, it's strange to not hear him everyday, talking about movies...'' Tim admitted, taking a look at the empty desk.

"Do you think he really did what he did ?''

''I don't know'' Tim answered, wishing he could avoid that kind of question. ''Do you ?''

''I don't know. In Israel, I've seen so many friends, or good people turn into bad ones...you always think you know someone until you realize there is so many things you don't know about that person. People can change for several reasons, or be extremely good actors. You'd never suspect they are not who they pretend to be.'' She deeply exhaled and looked away. ''Are you sure you don't want to come over ?'' Ziva finally changed the subject, as if to hide the slight feeling of bitterness coming to her throat.

''I have some work to do. Maybe some other time.''

''Alright, then.'' The female agent put her backpack on her shoulder and started to leave, now desperately looking for a drink. ''Oh, and, McGee ?''

''Yes, Ziva ?''

''I am very sorry about Bower. I know you liked him.''

''Thanks.''

''Good night, McGee'' the woman almost tenderly added from afar, pressing the elevator's button.

''Good night, Ziva'' Tim pronounced as well, smiling.

The woman finally disappeared inside the silver cage, doors now hiding her from the bullpen, and the agent then had a chance to focus again on several things, his eyes moving from the screen to his numerous papers, his hand taking notes...he didn't even notice the place turning darker and empty throughout the hours, his tired face too busy to care about anything, nor anyone around.

— — — — — — — — — —

Gibbs entered the bullpen, his first coffee of the day in hands. _4:12am._ Maybe it was an excuse to mourn alone, or to keep working before anyone would come and start working with him... Maybe there simply wasn't enough whiskey and sleep to moderate the rage he was feeling deep down, for having lost another agent. _DiNozzo. Abby. Bower. Arrested. Evicted. And dead._ He'll certainly have to deal with Vance at first light, to talk about the fact that this place was turning crazy... It maybe was a miracle that Leon was still working at NCIS, but truth was that certainly no one would ever want to get his job in the middle of this apocalypse. He heavily sighed and drank a few sips in a row, trying to forget...and saw him. Tim's face was lying on his desk, one of his cheeks pressed on what seemed to be a list of names... Jethro grabbed another paper next to Tim's hand, this time, mentioning investors... Screen was on, as well, the tape with Tony on it paused. _He could feel the headache coming._ On how many cases was McGee currently working, and how many duties had he decided to be in charge of ? He heavily breathed out and dropped a file on his agent's desk, watching him dizzily wake up, leaving a land of empty dreams for a worse world Gibbs was the master of.

' _'Boss...?"_ he slowly said and observed the file, trying not to yawn. "I...I am so sorry I fell asleep'' he started stuttering. "It won't happen...''

"...again ? At 4am ?''

Tim heard the chuckle but Gibbs didn't sound very amused at all.

''So...I'm not late ?''

The young agent painfully tried to stand up, his body aching a bit under his movements, and took a tired look at the bullpen. ''Sorry again, boss. I thought I had fallen asleep during the day...or the night.''

Tim rubbed his face with both hands and decided to stop speaking, conscious of the stupidity of his words. _God, he was tired._

''Why the hell are you working all night when I told everyone in my team to go home, McGee ?'' Gibbs finally confronted him, taking back what he had previously dropped on his desk. ''When I give an order, you do as I say."

''I was working on the case, boss.''

''Working on the case, McGee ? Case is all in here, in these pages. I've got your report, Mrs Swanson's testimony, pictures of Agent Bower, the vehicle, _everything_. It doesn't mention any video of Tony and Abby's lab to watch, nor any list of suspects you might have met in your career, nor any phone calls and analyses that might be attributed to a single agent.''

''So we're not supposed to work on it anymore ?''

''Of course we are, McGee. But not just you alone. Especially not you, when you are fully case-centered.''

''I didn't act like a field agent looking for revenge, boss, I simply stayed warm and wrote a list of suspects from behind my desk. That's the minimum I could do. Someone didn't do that just for fun, I needed to...''

''So you decided you could do everything all by yourself, McGee ?'' Gibbs asked, coming closer.

''I did what I had to do !'' Tim retorted, pointing a finger at his own chest. ''Boss, I do not pretend to be the employee of the month, you perfectly know I won't, but you can't blame me for not doing my job ! Since I came back to NCIS, I worked my ass off to...''

''You've been playing solo, McGee !''

''I just tried to do my best to handle what we had to do with the resources we had !''

''Tim, I know you want things to get better, but you are not alone, you have a team by your side, who...''

 _''A team ?''_ Tim started to laugh ironically. "How can you say that, boss ? Bower is dead, Abby's been replaced, Tony is gonna spend his life in prison...'' Gibbs noticed the sudden slightly wet eyes but didn't say a thing, too glad to hear Tim finally speaking. ''There is no 'team' anymore, Gibbs...''

Jethro moved in Tim's new direction and stopped in front of him.

"Abby has been pushed away but she's still here, McGee, you'll see her again. You have Rowanson to help you down there. And Tony isn't dead yet. Bower is.''

''Whatever...''

 _''Hey.''_

Tim looked away and rubbed his face, feeling exhausted. _Gibbs being too close seemed to bother him, as well._

''Go home, McGee, and do what everyone should do in such a situation.''

''Meaning ?''

''Sleep and take some time for mourning, to think about what happened...and allow yourself to _feel_ something, for God sake.''

Now the angriness, or at least that huge feeling of unfairness was back. _Gibbs was wrong. Proof that he was capable to feel something._ He didn't get mad very often...but he couldn't listen to some rubbish.

''Did you, Gibbs, _really_ ? And Ziva ?''

''Ziva is Ziva, McGee...''

''Oh, yeah, and I'm supposed to be the one going home and sobbing.''

''Didn't say that.''

''You didn't answer my question, either. Answer me, boss" he said, articulating each word. ''Did you take some time for yourself ? And Ziva ? Or is it something I'm supposed, this time, to only be doing on my own ?''

Jethro furrowed an eyebrow, listening carefully.

"Did you take some time for mourning ? To think about Tony, make the pros and cons to know if he tried to kill me ? To think about the fact that you might have died as well on my birthday, and this, whether or not he was innocent ? Everyone seems to feel sorry about the poor agent's life who almost ended up dramatically, but we're all in the same boat ! No one could have planned who would have swallowed that damn food first. _No one, boss !_ Your whole team could have died and I'm the only one supposed to be affected by the situation !'' He walked to the elevator and pressed the button. Extreme warmth had replaced the numerous aches he had been feeling since he had woken up on that desk. _He needed to...he wanted to..._ Gibbs approached him again but Tim's head seemed to be full of 'too much', tired and mad, silently crazy... He raised a hand next to Jethro, uselessly trying to think clearly again. ''No. _Don't_. I'm just...tired of all this, boss.''

''Me too.''

Tim simply nodded, not knowing what else to do, nor even say, and entered the silver cage, followed by Gibbs. He tried looking away, feeling bored to be accompanied, but the trip ended up quite quickly, as Tim should have expected, Jethro pressing the 'Stop' button.

''McGee, listen to me.''

''I don't want to listen to you, boss. Not now.''

''You'll do it anyway. Listen to me, Tim. This isn't your fault.''

''What, boss ?''

''This. All of this.''

''It all started with me'' he instantly retorted, before a hand suddenly slapped the back of his head.

''Circonstances, McGee. Not about you at all.''

Tim painfully exhaled and finally agreed facing the one that was still talking to him in that now dark elevator. He rubbed his mouth and tried to repress any feeling that might try to escape and risk to betray him.

''Whether or not I wanted it...''

''You didn't, McGee. You didn't want people to be killed. You didn't want to endanger your team on your birthday, and you didn't want either to see Bower dead after that interrogation.''

''Guilt follows you everywhere, boss. Anywhere you go. It doesn't care if it's rational or not.''

Tim reflexively rubbed his neck, trying to save time. _Maybe he'd open these doors again soon._

''This isn't your fault, Tim'' Gibbs repeated.

''I try to think that way, boss, I swear...''

''I know.''

Tim dived both hands in his pockets, uselessly staring at the ceiling. _He needed to go out._

''But...I can't.''

''I know.''

Tim felt the vibration along his lips and jawbone, his stomach now painfully moving, as if to keep itself from inflating... He prayed for the doors to open again, for that elevator's sound to restart and signify a return to normal... _But what was 'normal' ?_ He faced Gibbs' blue eyes again, wishing he hadn't.

''This isn't your fault, McGee'' Jethro repeated for the umpteenth time, staring at him, deeply.

And on these words, as if it had been the perfect moment to do so, Gibbs wrapped his arms around Tim, who had just clenched a fist...and let him burst out crying.


	14. More whiskey, less talk

_(Two days later...)_

The man, asleep, heard the ring deep in his dream, wondering where that sound was coming from... He tried to ignore it and focus on what he was dreaming about again, but that sound echoed another time into the space, like a phone in the middle of nowhere...one eyelid finally opened up against the man's will, his old hand slowly moving in the cupboard's direction. He grabbed the item between fingers and his second eye faced the darkness or the room.

''Gibbs'' he mumbled, unable to guess who'd be the one calling.

' _'Boss, it's me.''_

''Tim ? What...''

 _''I just realized something, boss, oh I know it'll seem incredible, but it suddenly came up to my...''_

''Slow down, McGee, slow down !'' Jethro repeated, exhausted as hell, his agent's voice continuing his speech like an unstoppable train on the rails. ''What...Tim, I thought you were supposed to take some time off, it's only 3am...''

 _''Can I see you now, boss ? I really need to talk to you.''_

''Now ?''

 _''Yes. Now.''_

Gibbs quickly sat up on his bed, taking another look at his watch...he rubbed his face and sighed, desperate for some sleep.

''Alright, Tim...let's meet at the diner in twenty minutes.''

 _''Actually, boss, I'm already in front of your house.''_

''What ?''

Gibbs hung up the phone and stood up from his sofa, approaching his door. He could see McGee's silhouette on the other side of it, waiting... He slowly pressed the handle, still not believing what he was seeing. Showing up at his place, especially at this time of the night, was mostly DiNozzo's style. Definitely not McGee's. _3am...That'd better be important._

''Hi, boss.''

''Having bad dreams, McGee ?'' Gibbs asked and exhaled, furrowing an eyebrow.

''I didn't want to knock...in case I'd wake you up.''

''So you preferred calling my phone.''

''Yeah'' Tim commented, looking embarrassed. ''Sorry about that.''

''Come on in...'' Jethro finally said, raising an arm, inviting Tim to walk inside. They then both moved in the living-room, Jethro taking a look at the kitchen. ''Coffee, McGee ?''

''Actually, I'd prefer something stronger, if you might have ?''

Jethro stared another time at his watch, then at his agent, smiling.

''Alright, McGee.''

''Please pour yourself a drink as well, boss'' Tim immediately added. ''Otherwise I'm not sure you'll believe a word of what I'll say, or at least even _try_ considering it as a possibility.''

''Alright.''

Tim heavily breathed in and out, almost shyly sitting on Gibbs' sofa while he was bringing a bottle for the two of them... _T_ _hat was crazy, right ?_ But still...still a possibility. _Right...?_ He heard the sound of whiskey falling, licking the glass, and drank straight the dose Jethro had just given him.

''Wow, slow down, McGee'' Jethro advised as he stared at McGee's grimace after he swallowed it all, taking his glass away.

''No. Please, boss. I think I'll certainly need another one before I start speaking.''

''Why ?'' Gibbs asked, really curious, if not suspicious.

"Otherwise I won't be able to tell you. I haven't slept at all, thinking and rethinking about it for hours... _please_ '' he finally added, two fingers of his hands moving the glass back in his direction, Gibbs saying nothing, this time, only pouring some more liquid... Tim did same as before and drank it all, his skin color turning redder than it used to be minutes ago, his cheeks and throat turning warmer as well... Jethro didn't pronounce a word but seemed to be clearly waiting this time, once his agent had finished swallowing the obvious bitter alcohol. He deeply stared at him, impatient. ''Boss, I've been thinking about the case, and...''

''Which case, McGee ?''

'' _Our_ case...I mean, I don't know if we can really say 'our'...'' He took a new look at the bottle, silently wondering if he could have some more of this disgusting, but powerful beverage. Gibbs' noticed his eyes movement and grabbed the bottle between fingers, as if to do a new first step.

''Tony's case, boss'' Tim finally spit the words, as if to deserve his reward.

Gibbs poured some more liquid in his agent's glass, still not believing how Tim was managing drinking that much, that night, now very interested...

''I remember talking with Ziva, after you told me what I already knew about Bower...she wasn't sure to trust Tony. She said people in Mossad had already been very bad friends but very good actors, capable of the worst things ever against someone they knew...''

''That's true, McGee. Unfortunately.''

''Yeah, but then that made me think about something.''

Tim took a sip of his third glass after he had finally started talking again, and Jethro then knew truth was about to be told. He carefully looked into his agent's tired eyes, trying to imagine the potential reason, or alibi... What could be stupid enough to need someone to be drunk in order to speak ? Tim finished his whiskey, like he had already done it twice before, and deeply breathed in, ready.

''Boss...what if Tony wasn't really Tony, but an actor ?''

Gibbs' facial reaction was definitely the one he had expected. _Bewildered._

''An actor ? What the hell are you talking about, McGee ?''

This time, Tim sat up and spoke a bit louder. Maybe he didn't really feel that powerful, himself, but alcohol had given him some confidence. Jethro stared at the dark circles under his eyes, worried, but let him finish his unbelievable explanation.

'' _No..._ not an actor in a way you think. I mean, it doesn't have to be his real profession, but...what if, boss ?''

''Say it, McGee !''

Tim swallowed both his saliva and pride and said it. Incredible, maybe, but still a possibility.

''Boss, what if a man, pretending to be Tony, had gone into Abby's lab that specific night ? What if the Tony we saw on the tape during his second visit wasn't really Tony, but someone with a mask ?'' Tim made a few steps backward, eyes still focused on Gibbs. ''I'm not saying we had a psychopath hidden in the closet in his apartment...or _maybe_ , I don't know... He could have found a way to take another entrance, or maybe stayed inside the apartment...''

''Tim, calm down.''

''Everything is so messed up inside my brain, boss, but still so clear, all at once...I don't know what happened at this point, but whatever. He could have left, or maybe he came back...maybe we...'' He quickly breathed in and out, feeling the electricity run through his arms and legs, and his hands suddenly tensed, as if to give the ultimate explanation. ''Maybe we've seen two Tonys at some point on the different tapes and did not pay attention at all while there was actually two different people acting for several things.''

Gibbs didn't say a word for a minute, silently overthinking, until he decided to consider the situation.

"Okay, McGee. Lie down.''

''What ?''

''On that sofa. _Now._ ''

Tim stared at the hand that was trying to push him along the furniture, already holding a small blanket to him.

''Boss, I know it seems crazy, but if I am right...''

''I'll take care of it, Tim. Now I want you to try to rest and sleep.''

''Boss, that wouldn't be just all about me, but a definitive threat against the _whole_ team...''

Jethro didn't really listened and simply pointed a finger at him as he saw him intend to sit up again.

''Boss, what...'' Tim managed saying a few words, his mouth barely repressing a terrible yawn.

Gibbs quickly sat next to him, his hand looking for his phone.

''I take it from here, Tim. Now you try to sleep before that body of yours begins to die of exhaustion. I'll wake you up as soon as I'll need you.''

The young agent wished he could have said something to change his mind, but another yawn instantly betrayed his intention, as if freeing that secret of the night had finally allowed his body to relax and give up, at least for a few hours...

''Okay, boss.''

Gibbs nodded and left the living-room, quickly approaching his door, dialing a number. _That was crazy._ Definitely crazy...but still worth a try. They'd need soon to focus again on McGee's potential list of enemies if some psycho had really decided to pretend being Tony, if not the whole Agency's one, if they were truly all involved... He took a last look in his agent's direction, wondering if he had managed falling asleep... Gibbs slightly smiled before turning serious again, watching the efficient effects of extreme exhaustion and powerful alcohol on a very troubled mind. McGee was now facing a big world of dreams like a child would have done, his eyelids certainly heavy, covering his darkest thoughts... A voice quickly answered the call and then allowed him to share someone else's idea, his attention still half focused on the one recovering from hard life moments on his sofa...

 _''Good job, McGee''_ he mumbled before starting his new discussion.


	15. Abby's return

_''Hey. McGee.''_

Tim slowly and painfully tried opening an eyelid, his head heavy as hell, lost somewhere between dreams and reality. The dark fringe was softly moving in front of him, although he couldn't really trust what he was seeing. _Abby was...no, she wasn't dead. Was she still evicted, then ? Or..._ He faced darkness again, too tired to stare at someone which wasn't supposed to be here.

 _''Gibbs...he looks exhausted. Should I wait ?''_ the woman kept whispering.

Jethro slowly approached the one that used to work with him and worriedly observed his agent, thinking.

"Is your place still under surveillance, Abbs ?''

''Well, yes...but not for the good reason !''

''Alright, Abbs'' Gibbs said as he walked to his door again. ''I want you to bring him home as soon as he wakes up. The two of you will be safer if someone is looking after you...even for the bad reason, Abby !'' he added, watching the woman's face turning angry.

''Gibbs, what's going on ? And why am I supposed to bring McGee with me ? Not that I'm not happy to help, but why now ? I thought I was supposed...''

''I'll tell you everything as soon as I can'' he finally promised before kissing her on the cheek. ''Now I need you to do as I say.''

Abby's skin turned a bit red for the first time since she had been forced to stay away from NCIS, Gibbs' lips on her face, even shortly, reminding her of the great time... She couldn't help but leave Tim's inert body for a minute and reflexively stand up, Gibbs suddenly feeling Abby's weight almost jumping on his, her long arms wrapped around his neck.

"Promise me you'll catch the bad guys, Gibbs. I just want to go back !''

The older hands slowly imitated Abby's ones, tenderly stroking the woman's back. _If only they could work this out, and everything go back to normal..._ but who could say how much time it would take ? He sighed but tried not showing it at all, enjoying that short, but comforting moment with the one he had always considered like his own daughter.

 _''I promise, Abby''_ Jethro whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek again. ''Now go. I have to talk to some people, and you and McGee'd better be out of here.''

Abby instantly nodded, sadly leaving Gibbs' previous grip. She knelt down again next to McGee and softly slapped his face.

 _''McGee...wake up.''_

One opened eyelid again. _Would he try the second one, this time ?_

"Okay, McGee, wake up, now !'' she ordered louder than before, shaking his sleeping shoulders.

 _''Uh...what...''_

Tim quickly sat up on the sofa before pressing a palm along his forehead, remembering the headache.

 _''What is...Abby...?''_

''Yeah, Tim, it's me !''

Tim expected an extravagant hug, or anything of that kind, but Abby's movements only almost forced him to stand up.

"What do you think ? That it's cuddle time ?''

 _''Uh...''_

''Come on, McGee ! We're leaving !''

Abby grabbed Tim's hand and headed to the exit, simply nodding in Gibbs's direction, a visible wish to hug him again in the eyes...

''Boss...? What...'' he tried to pronounce, facing the man near the entrance, Abby now grabbing his arm.

''Go with her, McGee. Drink coffee and keep working on that list of enemies you've been making that other day.''

''Sure.''

Gibbs watched them hurry to Abby's car with some new invisible worries inside his mind, overthinking again... If none of them had received any recent, direct threat, things had completely changed since Tim had exposed his hypothesis. More important to understand was that there was no more time to lose. _Was Tim the only one targeted ?_ Abby shyly waved at him from her car and he discreetly winked at her from his own spot, the vehicle finally leaving in the darkness of the early morning...

''That's not the road for NCIS, Abby" Tim commented, yawning.

''Gibbs asked me to wake you up, bring you to my place, and drink tons of coffee cups, Timmy !''

The young agent noticed the smile on her face, discreetly smiling as well, himself.

"It's good to see you, Abby...despite the circumstances.''

''It's good to see you too, McGee. _God...!_ '' she suddenly added. "I really like it ! That's...dangerous ! And exciting !''

Tim quickly chuckled, watching the woman grab the steering wheel like an undercover agent on a mission.

''I really think we should go back to NCIS, Abby. That's the only place where I really feel safe'' he admitted.

''Oh come on, McGee. I'm sure you'll like Rufus better than you'd have thought once you'll learn to know him more'' Abby retorted, laughing.

''Rufus ? Who the hell is Rufus ?''

Abby turned left and let the car slide along the road, accelerating.

''Well, his real name is Joey, apparently, but I thought Rufus was suiting him better.''

Tim smiled another time and then looked at her.

''Abby ? _Please ?''_

''Tim ! I don't even know if I'm allowed to go back !''

''Please, Abby. You know what ? I promise I'll take coffee at NCIS, dark with no sugar...even a cup of your soda if you prefer me to do so !''

— — — — — — — — — —

...Tim slowly opened both eyes, facing the list in front of him. _9:35am._ He rubbed his face and yawned, wondering where he was...the orange wallpaper finally worked as a reminder and he smiled as he noticed the large cup of soda on his desk.

 _'Drink me, Timmy !'_

He grabbed the note and smiled again, slowly holding the straw next to his mouth, a bit reluctantly... Tim's face was the one expected. He swallowed the fresh sip that had just fallen inside his throat and put back the drink on the furniture. _How on earth could Abby drink that everyday ?_ But another thought brusquely came up to his mind and he jumped on his seat. _Gibbs. One missed call._ Maybe they were all right from the beginning, maybe he should have taken a whole week off to try sleeping properly, because his brain was making him crazy... The ring of the elevator echoed on the other side of the bullpen and Tim instantly stood up, ready to endure any beating well deserved.

"Hello, McGee'' Ziva suddenly entered the large work area, taking off her earphones.

''Have you seen Gibbs ?'' he questioned her immediately, not caring about any politeness, for once.

The woman dropped her back and sat behind her computer, smiling.

"Why ? What did you do wrong ?''

''Let's say I'm not sure I've stayed where I was supposed to go to in the first place...kinda begged Abby.''

''You know, McGee, there are tons of places where it feels more comfortable to sleep on, rather than desks'' the female agent commented, chuckling.

''I bet you're right.''

Tim rubbed his neck, trying to lessen the pain, and Ziva suddenly decided she might stop torturing her colleague.

''Gibbs told us we could arrive a bit later today, that he had something to do first, linked to the case'' Ziva said, eyes now focused on her screen. "With Gibbs' numerous recent orders, these last few weeks, telling us to leave early and come later...it almost feels like holidays.''

''You don't like holidays ?'' Tim asked, trying to keep writing his list of suspects.

''Holidays do not exist in Mossad, McGee...''

''Yeah, right.''

Tim chuckled and took a look at Ziva, working. _Now that seemed logical._

''You need anything, McGee ?'' she proposed after some time. ''Gonna go grab some coffee.''

The young agent briefly stared at Abby's drink, grabbing the cup. _Maybe he could try finish it..._ after all, he had promised Abby.

''I'm good, Ziva, thanks'' he finally said, showing the plastic recipient to the woman before approaching the straw again, ready for his sacrifice.

''Lucky you'' she reacted, smiling, before leaving her seat.

Tim drank a few more sips of Abby's 'present', the strong caffeinated soda taste flowing in his throat. _God, that was disgusting._ He discreetly stood up and wrapped his fingers around the Caf-Pow, decided to throw it away, hoping for Abby not to be around...  
He stopped and pressed a hand on his forehead, feeling stupid. _Abby wasn't back, yet...or was she ?_ In fact, did she have simply enter NCIS with him hours ago and left a note, or would a miracle occur as soon as he would go down to what have been Rowanson's lab these last few weeks ? He sighed and tried thinking positively, staring at his cup. _He'd go down and keep it with him...just in case Abby'd be back_. He pressed the elevator's button, the thought of Abby's return now really cheering his mind, and entered the silver cage. He then pushed a finger on the right circle and waited, facing silence... _again_ ? The agent strangely froze for a second, thoughtful. Why didn't Ziva seem to have notice Abby's so famous cup on his desk, or commented the fact that he was supposed to be at her place ? _And why..._ He rubbed his face with desperation, feeling exhausted, besides the calmness of the place ? Yes...now that he was thinking about it, why was the whole bullpen as silent as the inside of that silver cage, a morning at 9:35 ?  
Tim heavily breathed in and out, trying to put in order his thoughts, to... _But why...?_ He pressed both hands on both his eyes, hoping for that new darkness to help him find answers... _Gibbs. Abby. Abby's car. NCIS. Bullpen. Morning. Ziva._ _Was anything going wrong ?_  
He finally turned back, wondering why the elevator was still not working, and pressed the button again.

''Hello ?'' he asked, the silver doors opening in front of him, the young agent facing the bullpen again.

 _The stairs. He'd take the stairs._ Tim quickly walked to the door, desperate for some fresh air, and pressed the handle.

''Someone in here ?'' he ended up asking, that same handle remaining completely blocked. _''Hello ?''_ he repeated.

Tim started breathing quickly, now aware that something was definitely wrong, and faced the whole, empty bullpen. His eyes widened as he finally took a real look at the space around him.

''What the hell is going on...?'' he asked himself, nervous. ''What the...someone in here ?!'' he insisted, feeling the sweating wet his forehead.

 _No answer._

Tim turned back another time and brusquely stopped, this time, wishing he was dreaming. _Was it...no, that couldn't._  
The agent almost ran to what used to be Tony's desk and grabbed the heavy seat that used to belong to him and Bower, approaching the window. He then clumsily tried to throw it against it and terrifyingly observed the reality he hadn't been ready to face... _if not the nightmare._ Tim desperately noticed the absence of glass pieces on the floor, realizing he had just hurt a wall, and reflexively stared at the ceiling, crying.

 _''Who are you ?! And where did you bring me ?!''_


	16. It's good to see you all

_(One month later...)_

''Boss, what do we got ?''

''Still nothing, DiNozzo'' the voice immediately answered. _Too fast, unfortunately._

Tony heavily exhaled and dropped that same file he had desperately been looking at all day on his desk.

''Is that all we can truly work on ? A suspects list for each of us...?''

''I'm afraid so, Tony'' Ziva commented.

 _''How ridiculous...''_ Tony grinned ironically and stared at the screen in front of him, thoughtful. ''So that's how it is ? We disappear one by one, in turn, first I'm evicted, then it's Tim who has to go away...now what, Director Vance is a muppet ?''

''Actually I am not, Agent DiNozzo. At least, not for now'' the voice suddenly said, the NCIS team staring at the new man coming. Leon crossed both arms behind his back and took a quick look at the screen, curious. ''Who's this man ?''

''A suspect'' Jethro said, neutral.

''Someone looks very talkative today...'' Vance retorted.

Gibbs furrowed an eyebrow and made a step forward, facing Leon.

''He's one of the men we've sent to jail and who was supposed to be freed recently.''

''Are we still following the masks theory ?''

''We do.''

''What about Mrs Swanson's case ? I heard Mr Fedler had been found in the end, and this, with a strong alibi.''

''We know. We're keeping an eye on it.''

Leon watched the man who had just spoken, irritated. Obviously none of them seemed to like being in the same room, these days.

''Meaning ?'' he question him.

Tony slowly walked to Leon, a serious expression on his face...maybe the seriouser Director Vance had ever seen in years.

''With all due respect, Director, I think it is more important to look after our friends and colleagues rather than focusing on a dead officer. We have other agents in here, we can find someone else to take back the case.''

''With all due respect, Agent DiNozzo,'' Leon pronounced, bitterly, ''as you must expect, murderers do not take holidays to look after their mothers, and we are completely busy at NCIS, _why_ this team was chosen in the first place to work on that case. Now I won't ask you to stop looking for Agent McGee and Miss Sciuto, this is of course a priority for NCIS to make everything possible...''

''Oh, so everyone is praying and looking for Abby and Tim, then we have free time to focus on some other person who is, _obviously_ , already dead ? With all due respects, Director, I think we'd better use our time looking for people who might still be _alive.._.''

''I am glad to see we all seem to respect anyone in here,'' Leon finally commented, interrupting the endless dialogue, ''but let's go back to our subject. Let me inform you that Paul Barton has been caught, fighting with one of his inmates five weeks ago. Probation delayed.'' He half sat on what used to be Tim's desk and pressed both hands on the furniture, staring at Jethro.

''Find Rowanson and ask him to create an algorithm in the system. It'll increase our chances.''

''Why for ?'' Ziva asked, curious.

Leon stood up, raising his chest again, and took a look at them all, explaining.

''If you are still working on that theory, then start with DiNozzo. If someone really tried to...''

''No one 'tried' anything, Director. He, or they _did_ '' Tony immediately corrected, boiling inside.

His interlocutor pretended he hadn't heard a thing and continued speaking, sharing his ideas.

''Your man was a copy of Agent DiNozzo ? Then start looking on the system for some free men with his exact same characteristics. Shoe size, height, weight...and if you're worried that he, or they might try doing the same with the whole team, then enter all your agents' characteristics. It should at least lower the list a bit.'' Leon stopped a second in front of Gibbs before heading back to the stairs, and begun whispering. ' _'And talk to your agent, Gibbs. Remember I asked favors and pulled numerous strings to bring him back when Agent McGee and Miss Sciuto disappeared from our radar, but still being in jail during the facts doesn't seem to be a good excuse enough for some people. If he's going too far he'll be evicted, as well...''_

 _''He's under protection, Leon, he's already evicted.''_

 _''The whole team is under surveillance, Gibbs. Agent DiNozzo isn't supposed to be an exception.''_

 _''You know what I mean, Director.''_

 _''Enlighten me, Gibbs.''_

Jethro quickly smiled and stared at the man one last time.

 _''He is under your protection.''_

Tony watched the serious duet look at each other in silence, knowing who they must be talking about...he pressed the remote control and observed a few other people's faces, trying to ignore them, silently angry. He heard Ziva calling Rowanson from her desk, asking for the personalized research...until he finally felt the presence behind him, although he didn't say a word.

''You think our guilty man is a woman ?''

Tony quickly raised his shoulders, still not looking at Gibbs.

''Why not. If we have one person for each of us, pretending, then we need someone to play Abby.''

Jethro silently thought about this before moving next to the screen, now facing Tony.

''What's wrong, DiNozzo ?''

The agent sighed and pressed a hand under his chin, suspicious. Gibbs furrowed both eyebrows and waited, looking impatient.

''Boss...are you sure it was Abby you were talking to, that other night ?''

''Why, DiNozzo ?''

''Bad answer...'' Tony's feet suddenly moved in the opposite direction, his body reflexively heading to the elevator. ''I'm gonna see if I can help Rowanson downstairs'' he added, not looking back.

Gibbs followed the agent to the elevator, both silver doors opening instantly, freeing a few people. He entered the cage and pressed the 'Stop' button as soon as he was locked inside with Tony.

''Hey...what's the matter ?'' he finally asked, surprised by his own way of speaking.

''Don't play the nice guy with me, boss. I've never liked pity.''

''Me neither.''

''Great'' Tony uselessly commented, rolling his eyes. ''Now that this conversation is over, can we start this elevator again, therefore I can go down and really check on Rowanson ?''

''No.'' Gibbs instantly retorted. ''First I want to know what's going on.''

Tony heavily breathed in and brusquely turned back, nervous, now fully facing Jethro.

''Then why don't you answer my question, boss ? Are you sure it was Abby talking to you that other night ? _Wait, no..._ '' he suddenly added, his voice turning angrier than before. ''Let me rephrase that, 'how can you be sure it was Abby you talked to that other night ?' 'Cause I'd kill to get a logical explanation to that.''

''I know it, Tony. That's all. And don't ask me why, because you obviously won't get the answer you'll want, whatever the answer you're looking for anyway. McGee was McGee that night, and Abby was Abby as well, until they both disappeared.''

''And why not me, then ?''

Gibbs first wondered if he should say something right away, but Tony seemed to be ready to embrace full angriness, if not rancor, very soon. He'd better listen to what he had hidden deep inside rather than let him explode another day in the middle of nowhere.

''Why not me ?'' his agent repeated, desperate for an answer. ''You've watched a damn video one hundred times and decided to attack me verbally as soon as I was in jail, and didn't considered it all might be a setup, no, that it _was_ an actual setup ? No...Abby is Abby, Tim is Tim, but DiNozzo has probably messed up with life at some point and we'd better freak him out and leave him damn alone with himself !''

''Tony.''

The agent stepped back as much as he could in that very small space and reflexively raised a hand in front of him, keeping Gibbs away from him as much as possible.

''No, boss'' he finally said, his voice turning a bit lower than before. ''I might hate our Director as much as I can for now, I get it. He'd better be paranoid rather than regret it later...''

''It isn't that easy, DiNozzo...''

''I'm not finish, boss. I... I understood for McGee as well. I mean...I don't know if I really did, but he had almost faced death two times in a row, I was suspected to have tried killing him, and...boss, I wished so many times he could only have trusted me for the best, but we've all watched that video... _but you..._ ''

''Me 'what', Tony ?'' Jethro calmly questioned his agent, although he could feel the tension in his body as well.

''You didn't come...if only to yell at me. Tell me there was a plan behind all this. _Please_ , boss, otherwise...I think I'm gonna turn crazy.''

''Tony...''

''You didn't come, Gibbs. And you...'' The man deeply exhaled and certainly tried holding back some tears. ''You didn't come, but you had no troubles knowing it was Abby next to you that other night. Now what does it make of me...?''

Jethro stared at the man next to him, silently regretful, his brain replaying that kind of similar conversation he had had with Tim that other night...maybe he was the one who had ruined everything, after all, the one who had shared and given regrets when he should have been the only protector of his team... He wondered if he should do or say something else, but Tony's mouth slowly opened again, neutral and determined.

''Now I am gonna start that elevator again and see if Rowanson needs anything. I think you'd better go, boss.''

— — — — — — — — — —

...Tony entered the bullpen and dropped his back next to his desk, smiling.

''Good morning, McGeek ! How was your night, King of the elves ?''

Tim raised his eyes in his direction, tired.

' _'Don't listen to him, Tim, Tony never stops joking in order to hide his obvious lack of confidence...''_

 _''Ah-ah...At least someone is...''_

 _''Vulnerable, Tony ?''_

 _''I meant that 'someone has feelings' !''_

 _''Oh, so your lack of confidence is supposed to touch me, Tony ?''_

Tim heard the voices from afar but didn't try to listen, his tired eyes focused on his screen.

''McGee.''

The young agent reopened his eyes, just noticing he had closed them again.

''You alright ?''

Tim quickly nodded, too tired to speak.

''I think something is wrong, Gibbs'' Ziva's voice suddenly said, approaching the man's desk.

''Me, too, boss. Come on, McGeek...'' Tony added, ''You'd better be awake if you want to do it.''

''Do what ?'' Tim finally managed mumbling, still desperate for some sleep.

The trio in front of him smiled at him and Tim's body slightly jumped as he watched Ziva drop the gun in front of him.

''We've already talked about it, McGee. You know we can't delay.''

Tony wrapped a hand around Tim's shoulder, comforting him.

''It'll only take a minute of your time, don't worry...''

 _''What are you talking about...''_ Tim tried articulating, still exhausted.

''Come on, McGee. Let's go.'' Jethro put the gun in his agent's hand and helped him standing up, determined. ''Remember what you have to do, McGee. Abby won't suffer if you aim great.''


	17. McKiller

Tim faced the one who had really tried to kill him in the first place, the one who had pretended all this time, throughout the years, to be his friend, while there had been a plan against him from the very beginning...he almost stroked the gun with his thumb, the three fingers of his hands naturally wrapping the dark weapon.

 _''Tim...hey''_ the voice calmly begun talking to him, the lips sadly smiling. ''I know you won't do it. I trust you.''

Tim nervously moved his neck, tired, his eyes still focused on his future victim.

''Do it, McGee. You know she deserves it.''

Tim's glassy eyes kept staring at Abby, her childish face trying to show tender and invite him to pity her. His thumb stroke the gun again and he prepared himself to shoot.

''I know, Gibbs'' he said, neutral.

— — — — — — — — — —

...Gibbs kept staring at his screen, feeling depressed. Creating an algorithm had been an interesting idea, but there was still too many people to suspect...indeed, years spent solving crimes wasn't exactly the good idea when it came to find someone who might want revenge. Yeah, he thought, that was the perfect example for a very famous idiom : 'looking for a needle in a haystack'. He heard the 'ding' of the elevator and uselessly expected to see McGee.

''Boss, I might have something !''

Jethro instantly stood up from his seat and noticed Ziva doing the same, both now waiting for a detailed explanation.

''What, Tony ? You woke up and discovered the name of our murderer ?''

Tony grabbed the remote control and pressed a button, suddenly revealing Abby's picture on the screen.

''Absolutely not, unfortunately...but I'm glad to see you still take a minute for joking, boss.''

''What is it, then ?'' Gibbs asked seriously, this time.

''Yes, Tony'' Ziva added, approaching as well. ''Why are you showing us a picture of Abby ?''

''Because...that's it. I mean, I _think_ that's it.''

''Could you be a bit more specific, Tony ?'' Gibbs insisted, his voice turning angry.

The agent tried to ignore Jethro's tone and heavily breathed in and out, as if to make an introduction, finally facing both his friends and colleagues.

''Boss, I think we had it all wrong. We're losing time, looking for too many suspects...''

''What do you mean ? You don't believe in the masks theory anymore ?'' Ziva asked.

''I still do, David, and I still believe they are incredible actors, if not weirdos, but there might be less people to care about ! Boss,'' he continued, ''what if all happened to McGee in the first place but it was something initially planned against Abby ? She was making the cake, she has been kidnapped with Tim...''

''I do not want to hear any more 'if', DiNozzo, now I want something concrete !'' Gibbs immediately reacted, although both agents near him could perfectly picture the little wheel turning inside his brain.

''Okay, boss'' Tony now fully faced Jethro, seriouser than ever. ''Abby is the one who was targeted. Let's only look at the people she sent to jail and might be looking for revenge.''

''And what do you have to prove what you say, DiNozzo ?'' Gibbs confronted him.

''My gut told me so'' Tony challenged him. ''Is that good enough... _boss_ ?''

Gibbs took a last look at his agent and almost immediately headed to the elevator, silent and determined.

''Tony...?'' Ziva finally asked once Jethro fully disappeared from the bullpen. ''Are you saying Tim and Abby are still alive ?''

The agent noticed the hesitation in the woman's voice and made a few steps forward, staring at her.

''I don't know if they're still alive, David...but I'm saying we have Gibbs' agreement for my theory. Now let's go to work.''

''Let's go to work'' Ziva repeated, waiting for his orders.

— — — — — — — — — —

...McGee noticed the tear on Abby's cheek, feeling exhausted. _That was probably just another technic to soften him up._

''Take your time, McGeek, it'll be alright.''

''I know, Tony.''

Silence filled the place once again after Tim's umpteenth neutral reaction, and Abby's mouth seemed ready to say something new, although they could all notice the emotion in her voice. She heard the click of the gun and then desperately begged, her hands still tied to that chair.

 _"Please, Tim ! Do not listen to them ! You are just being brainwashed by these p...''_

Ziva immediately slapped her and pressed a piece of tape along her lips, wishing for silence.

''Quick as a flash, David...'' Tony smiled, watching her.

''What, Tony ? You've just discovered what it is to be real woman ?''

''Yes, Ma'am" he instantly answered, flirting.

 _''Hey !''_ Gibbs brusquely interrupted the stupid talk, his hand softly hitting Tony's skull. Ziva chuckled for a second and closed her mouth, in turn, waiting for what would be next. ''Now focus, McGee. I do not want any extra blood on that floor.''

Tim turned his head in his direction for the very first time since he had really faced Abby, wondering.

''Will I be able to sleep after that, boss ?''

''Like a baby, McGee.''

''Good'' he immediately said, softly nodding.

 _''Be my guest...''_ Jethro then simply added, raising an arm, showing Abby.

The last thing Tim remembered was Abby trying to shout under the tape, her wrists desperately shaking under the tight ropes...he watched her terrified eyes one last time and aimed perfectly right, hearing the shot resonate in the middle of the silent place, the bullet quickly entering what used to be her former colleague's skin and heart. The woman's head slightly fell on one side, her eyes now empty of any thoughts. Tim felt one of his own slightly turn wet, his pale skin and facial expression still looking exhausted, if not even more, and he then slowly looked at Gibbs, dropping the gun.

''Did she suffer, boss ?''

''Not at all, McGee'' Gibbs neutrally answered.

"Can I sleep now ?''

''Of course, McGee. Case is over, you deserved it.''


	18. The ding of the elevator

_(Days later...)_

Tony focused on the screen of the bullpen, doubtful. He had probably watched that damn rectangle more times than he actually had watched movies these last few weeks...not even a quote in mind, nothing. Just silent rancor, deep annoyance, due to the lack of elements they had, and unspeakable worries. He kept staring at the woman's picture, quietly overthinking.

''Who's that woman, Tony ?'' Ziva asked, arriving from behind.

''Laetitia Sanchez.''

''And what about it...?''

''She is one of our criminal suspects's step-sister.''

The female agent pressed a hand on Tony's shoulder, inviting him to turn back and face her.

''Does she have a record ? Or is she linked to Abby ?''

''Nope. And nope.''

They both heard the steps of someone coming and waited for the voice to comment, as usual.

''Then what are you doing, standing here, DiNozzo ! If you have something to say, then say it !''

Tony rubbed his chin and sighed as Jethro came closer, his eyebrows furrowed.

''I had some kind of flash yesterday night, when I started focusing on Officer Swanson's case again...''

''I said this case had to be set aside for now, Tony. You said it, too. We cannot let Tim and Abby down, not until we find them...''

''...dead, or alive, boss ? It's been weeks, boss, and we didn't have any new lead, sorry if I thought I might try to think about something else during my umpteenth sleepless night.''

Gibbs nervously raised his chest as he faced his agent, noticing the calm voice. Prison was changing a man, they said.

''Keep going, Tony'' Ziva unexpectedly started speaking, probably using the perfect, appropriate words.

''Laeticia Sanchez is Mark Pierce's step-sister. I hadn't thought of her in years, until I saw her on a list. It was like a flash.'' Now Tony was speaking faster, his energy being back again. "She testified at Mark's trial, the same I testified at, and boss, that can't be a coincidence."

''What list are you talking about, Tony ?''

''Boss, Laeticia Sanchez is on Swan Corp's investors list. After Mark got incarcerated, Laeticia's mother asked for a change of name for her daughter and herself, then, years later, Laeticia got married and changed her name again...''

''Easy to feel lost about her identity'' Gibbs said, neutral.

''Not mentioning that stupid confidentiality rule they kept telling me about'' Ziva commented, frustrated. ''How did you manage getting all these informations ?''

''He did what he had to do'' Gibbs instantly answered, impatient.

''How did they do, boss ? Hidden cameras ? They hacked our system ? I know Vance told us they had checked everything weeks ago, but what about the very beginning ?''

''They probably did both, Tony'' Ziva guessed. ''People like them must be very skilled.''

Gibbs drank half of his coffee cup and walked in the elevator direction, already sharing orders.

 _''Tony, I need a BOLO on her, and him as well. Ziva..."_

"...I'll check all his old friends who might be out of jail, too.''

''Boss, you'd better come and see this.''

Jethro stopped and now walked in the opposite direction, staring at his agent.

''Tony, I asked you to...''

''I already sent out the BOLO, boss.''

 _''When ?''_ Gibbs asked, furrowing an eyebrow.

''Last night, why ?''

''And you were planing to tell me at some point, DiNozzo ?'' Jethro questioned him, confronting Tony.

''I just told you now !''

Ziva grabbed her phone from behind her desk and took a discreet look at the duet, not daring interrupting them.

"So now it's your time to play solo ?'' Gibbs ask, remembering that other discussion he had had with McGee, weeks ago.

''I took a decision, boss ! If you want to yell at me, please do it later, when we'll have found our two former colleagues. It's not playing solo anymore,'' he added, seriouser than ever, ''it's reacting immediately in order to save lives.''

"What do you have to show me ?'' Gibbs asked immediately, turning professional again.

Tony pressed a new button on the remote control, revealing a building plan.

''This project has been organized in collaboration with three people, a few years ago, including Laetitia Sanchez. Plan was delayed after the death of Officer Swanson's father...''

''Wait, if she changed her name several times, how did you remember that was her ?'' Ziva finally asked, approaching.

''There was a picture next to her name, on the project. That's where the...''

''...flash came from'' the woman finished his sentence.

''Yeah. Now the project mentioned four potential spots for the construction, each of them in opposite directions."

"John Fedler wasn't aware of this ?''

''Fedler wasn't already in high places at that moment, and Officer Swanson wasn't really present in his job, due to his Navy responsibilities."

"Maybe he heard about the project later" Ziva said.

''Or maybe someone thought he might hear of it and wanted to keep it secret" Gibbs commented, sighing.

Ziva stood up in front of the screen and faced Jethro, looking worried.

''Gibbs, I do not know how these guys work, but I think the threat isn't over.''

''It's been a long time, David, and nothing happened.''

"It's not a matter of time, Tony. Look, you've been sent to jail, then McGee almost died in the explosion with Bower...''

''Now that might be related" Gibbs said.

''Abby prepared the cake and got kidnapped'' Ziva continued. ''If someone felt hatred against her, then he must know her team means everything to her. I can't believe so many of us had already faced death or imprisonment, if it doesn't apply to all of us. Tony, you testified and went to jail'' Ziva repeated, as if to confirm her own hypothesis. ''Abby sent him to jail as well and disappeared. The team is responsible for his case, so the team has to pay for it, right ?''

Tony sighed and took a useless look at the elevator, wondering.

''Then what, David ? Next curse is against you or Gibbs ? We flip a coin, the doors open, and we wait for some new murderer to come inside and shoot ?''

''First we ask for backup and we go to the four addresses. If we are lucky enough, Tim and Abby might be kept prisoner over there. Now grab your gear and let's go. Ziva, ask someone else to take a look at Mark's free friends.''

''They'd better be there, boss. And alive'' Tony said as he started walking, desperate for a miracle.

The trio members silently sighed all at once and finally quickly headed to the elevator, nervous, but a ding suddenly echoed in the whole bullpen, revealing a tired silhouette, breathless.

 _''Gibbs !''_ the voice almost yelled. _''I can't believe I made it, I ca...''_

 _''Freeze !''_ Tony brusquely ordered, shouting at the woman.

He pointed a gun in her direction, Gibbs and Ziva immediately imitating her.

 _''Gibbs, what are you doing, it's me, I...''_ Abby crazily questioned him, trying to grab his waist.

The three agents instantly stepped back and heard the fear of the numerous people sitting in the bullpen, still focused on their new target.

 _''Ziva...Tony...''_ the woman tried speaking again to the two others, terrified.

 _''Hands up !"_ Gibbs angrily ordered, gun still pointed at Abby, determined. _"You try to move again, and you're dead !''_


	19. Believe or trust

Ziva silently observed the woman she hadn't seen in a while from her spot, arms crossed. A door opened behind her and she instantly felt Gibbs' presence next to her.

''Gibbs'' she politely pronounced. ''They just started.''

''How is she ?''

''Analyses aren't that bad, according to the time she spent out there. Very basic alimentation and an obvious lack of sleep, but she should manage, at least, physically. But I'm pretty sure you already knew that'' she added, smiling.

''And how are you, Ziva ?'' he calmly asked, not looking at her.

The woman froze for a very short time, dubious.

''I'm...good'' she answered with hesitation, definitely surprised by the question. ''Why ?''

''I don't know. The team has been through a lot over the last few weeks. I still like to believe, sometimes, that negative events have an impact on you.''

Ziva turned back and strangely faced Jethro, squinting her eyes.

''Are you alright, Gibbs ? Oh, please do not think I am not feeling touched by your interest in me,'' she continued, raising a hand, ''but I find it...strange to have this kind of conversation with you when Abby is on the other side of that glass. Gibbs, is Abby being interrogated ?''

''Kind of.''

''You mean, like a suspect ?''

''I don't know. I think they first tried to take care of her, and now they're asking her some questions.''

''They'll be tons.''

''Obviously.''

Ziva put both hands in her pockets and took another look at Abby.

''Gibbs, can I ask you one question ?'' Jethro quickly looked at her and nodded. ''Why aren't you there with her, on the other side ? I mean, I think the two of us know she'd certainly feel safer knowing...''

''Abby doesn't need to 'feel safe' right now, she needs someone from the outside, calming her. We need answers for now, Ziva, and I'm not even sure we have enough time for the answers anymore.''

Ziva sighed and crossed her arms again, frustrated.

''So what's next ?'' she asked.

''Now that we know she has enough energy to speak, they'll ask her if she was kept prisoner with McGee, is she has any clue about where she was being held...''

''In the meantime we have a team already leaving for one of our four destinations. We're still unsure if one of these places might be where Tim could be, but that's still something. We found two potential criminals who had a contact with Pierce years ago and who are out of jail...concerning others, we still don't know. Maybe some bad guys who hadn't been caught, or even hostages he might have forced, or anyone corrupted.''

Gibbs nodded again without really listening, this time, suddenly focusing on the second female voice, hearing Abby finally speak on the other side.

 _''No, you don't understand, I have to go back !''_

 _''Where, Miss Sciuto ?''_

 _''I don't know...! To that...place, where...''_

 _''Alright, let's try to calm down for a minute, do you remember anything about the area that might hel...''_

 _''Calm down ? Really ? How do you want me to calm down, my friend T...''_ Ziva couldn't help but smile a bit, but she didn't comment. _''This is completely crazy...that was crazy ! I was locked into some kind of lab...actually it was a perfect replica of mine, at NCIS !''_

 _''The exact same ?''_

 _''Yeah, I think ! I don't know what happened in their crazy minds..._

 _''Do you know why they freed you ?''_

 _''I don't ! I woke up in that...street.''_

 _''They drugged you in order to get rid of you with no memory, nor fight.''_

 _''But why ?''_

 _''I don't know. You tell me.''_

' _'And wh...why did they even do that in the first place ? Was it because I sent someone to jail ? He, or they were locked for years, so now he, or they wanted me to feel the same ? Was it becau...''_

 _''Mrs Sciuto, please, try to calm down''_ the man repeated, neutral.

 _''Calm down ? Calm down ?!''_ The woman stood up from her seat and pushed a heavy palm on the table, facing her interlocutors with crazy eyes. _''Tell me once again that I have to calm down and I swear I'm gonna take you apart, piece by piece...!''_ The woman nervously rubbed her face and walked in the large glass direction, on the edge of exploding. _''My friend Timmy has been tortured and I can't do anything in order to help him because some sickos tried to ruin my life, and you want me to relax ?''_ Both Ziva and Gibbs noticed the voice turning a bit lower than before, some deep sobs now being prisoner of Abby's throat, and jumped as her hand brusquely slammed the large rectangle. _''What is wrong in here...! Gibbs, I know you're hiding !''_ Abby begun speaking slowly, this time, pointing a finger at the invisible. _''You threatened me with a gun ! You threatened me !''_

 _''Mrs Sciuto, please, sit down !''_

Ziva didn't dare saying a word for now, wondering if she should even say anything...but she couldn't help but notice the slight sound caused by Gibbs' sigh.

''Are you okay ? Is there anything I can do to help ?''

''Let's find these guys, Ziva'' Jethro instantly answered, heading energetically to the door.

''If you want to stay and listen to the interrogation, that's not a problem for m... _anything I should know about, Gibbs ?_ '' she added in the end from afar, following him in the corridor.

''They freed Abby, Ziva'' Jethro commented his silent reaction, almost blaming her for not understanding.

The female agent stopped for a second and stared at him.

''So you think they don't need McGee anymore.''

Gibbs' blue eyes quickly stared back at her and his feet finally begun walking again, faster. Hearing someone else confirm his word was making the situation even worse.


	20. The third location

_''Clear !''_ Ziva exclaimed after lowering her gun, staring at the space around her.

 _''Clear as well in here, boss !''_ Tony added from another room.

Gibbs heavily exhaled and waited for his two agents to join him, feeling hopeless.

''What do we do, boss ?''

''What did the other team say about the second location ?''

''Empty, boss. Like a boring Sunday.''

''Alright, Tony. Contact Bryan Kurt and ask him to drive to the third location, we'll take the fourth.''

''The fourth, boss ? It's almost 100 miles away from here, they'd be the ones closer, shouldn't we...''

''We aren't gonna stand here, doing nothing, DiNozzo !''

''You know that's not what I meant, Gibbs.''

''I don't care what you tried to mean, Tony, we have another team to divide the work into two parts with, and whether or not we're finding the good place where McGee might be kept prisoner, we're...''

''But why the further one, Gibbs ?'' the agent insisted.

''Because it's always the further one, Tony'' Ziva answered before him.

''Okay. Let's go, then.''

'' _I_ am the one that says 'let's go', Tony'' Jethro immediately interrupted him, both agents next to him noticing the angriness coming along his facial traits.

Tony then simply nodded and followed the one heading outside, numerous extra agents around following them to the exit, leaving as well. He felt the hand grabbing his wrist and stopped for a second, facing the woman.

''What is going on, Tony ? Did Gibbs and yourself turn into a fighting duet of alpha males ? You haven't stopped arguing for days.''

''I don't have time for this, David...''

''Talk to me, Tony !''

 _''David ! DiNozzo !''_ the older voice suddenly called them from afar, already impatient.

But Ziva quickly grabbed again the arm trying to get away.

''Tony...I'm sorry I didn't visit you. I...''

''I know'' he instantly commented her apology, not caring about her words. "You all thought I was guilty.''

 _''Tony...!''_ she tried adding, although the agent was already walking in the vehicle's direction, tired of this conversation.

''We are not in Israel, David. We've never been'' Tony coldly pronounced, not looking at her.

The trio finally joined Gibbs and entered the car, quickly fastening their seat belts, Gibbs' foot already pressing the acceleration pedal with intensity.

''Did you enter the location in the GPS, Gibbs ?'' Ziva asked.

''The what ?'' Gibbs instantly answered, looking annoyed to the highest level, turning the steering-wheel in another direction.

''Never mind.''

Jethro suddenly turned left as he noticed a new stop sign and numerous cars nearby, trying to avoid the traffic congestion coming...Ziva secretly expected Tony to comment the situation, as the speed pushed them all deeper against their seats, if not compare Gibbs' way of driving to her own, but her friend and colleague remained completely silent and didn't share any reaction.

''Gibbs.''

Tony seemed to be taken out of his reverie, now hearing Jethro's voice talk on his phone. The man nervously held the item to Ziva, looking for the speaker. The woman didn't take the time to judge and simply pressed the button, Bryan Kurt now starting a conversation on the other side of the line.

 _"Gibbs, it's Kurt.''_

''What's new, Kurt ?'' Jethro asked, his hands stroking the steering-wheel again, turning right, this time.

 _''I think you'd better come and have a look, Gibbs.''_

''What is going on ?'' he now questioned the man, suspicious.

 _''We've just entered a part of the building you asked us to check. No one in here, although there are enough security cameras to keep an eye on the President.''_

Gibbs pressed the acceleration pedal again, changing direction.

''Do you think there might be someone in the area ?'' Tony finally dared asking.

 _''Agent DiNozzo, I guess ? Well, we're still checking, the place is quite big, to be honest, why I wouldn't say no to some extra help. But I personally don't think someone would rent an entire place, if not a giant one, to watch someone miles away. If our man has planed everything, like I think he did, he'll certainly focus on the same location.''_

''Any sign of McGee on the cameras ?''

 _''There are some, Gibbs, actually...quite a lot. That's what leads me to my next question, now. Is your Abby alright ? I heard she was back to NCIS ?''_

''She is, why ?''

They all noticed the silence and scarily waited for the info, although none of them ever showed anything. The vehicle's wheels moved faster than ever along the last road they needed to drive on in order to go back to that third location, and Gibbs secretly felt the tension in his guts.

''Kurt ?'' Ziva said.

 _''Gibbs, obviously Miss Sciuto doesn't have an evil twin somewhere in America, but whatever these people have told your agent, Special Agent McGee has killed someone and certainly thinks she was Abby.''_

A deeper silence immediately filled the inside of the vehicle, Gibbs now knowing these people had reached their goal. Abby had been sent back to NCIS, they had what they wanted...he sighed and approached the location, Kurt's voice giving them instructions concerning the building's part they should check on for now... _They had what they wanted_ : McGee broken, and soon enough, Abby knowing he was, leaving them both with that burden. The two of them might feel linked to each other for some time, due to that experience, but if one broken mind was already difficult to deal with, dealing with two would be close to impossible.  
Ziva put the speaker off and let Jethro push the phone on his ear again, the trio opening their door all at once, determined. Tony stopped in front of Gibbs and confronted him.

''Gibbs, do you think McGee is in here ?''

''I don't know, Tony, you want me to stay here while you check that by yourself ?'' Jethro instantly answered, neutrally challenging him, although Ziva could perfectly notice the umpteenth verbal fight between the two NCIS team members.

''I warn you, boss, I...''

''You _what_ , DiNozzo ? Spit it out so we can all get back to work !''

Tony seriously faced the older man before taking a look at the building, his blood boiling inside.

''I warn you, boss. If we find Tim dead in here, you have my resignation.''


	21. NCIS against NCIS

_''Mark Pierce ! NCIS ! You're surrounded, surrender !''_ Gibbs angrily shouted as he entered the part of the building Bryan Kurt had told them to check on their arrival. Not a single man in here, nor any proof that McGee might have been in here either, although there were other spaces to take a closer look at. _''Mark Pierce,''_ he repeated, Tony and Ziva only a few steps behind him, guns raised, _''you are surrounded, surrender !''_ Both his agents next to him ended up lowering their weapon, although not completely. The entire building might be empty, there still was these cameras in that other room, and that was then still extremely suspicious. Jethro kept walking and discreetly moved his head, silently inviting the two others to follow him. He could hear someone behind that second door... _that was it_. It _had_ to be. The trio froze for a second on both sides of the rectangle, ready to violently intervene...and Jethro finally gave the signal. ' _'NCIS ! Don't move !''_

The group of people brusquely raised their guns in their direction, ready to shoot back.

 _''NCIS !''_

Gibbs lowered his own with frustration, sighing. He faced the agents in front and waited for some informations.

''Anyone ?''

One of the men in front nodded, imitating him.

''No one. But we still have two spaces to check. We take the first on the right, you take the other one ?''

Gibbs simply nodded and already headed in another door's direction, trying to fight that hopeless feeling that was playing with his heart.

''Building seemed bigger on the plan'' Tony said.

"I have to agree, Gibbs'' Ziva confirmed.

"One step at the time" Jethro commented. ''Now let's enter that other area."

The two agents instantly nodded, walking next to him. They both heard Gibbs whisper '1,2,3' and watched him press the handle with a sharp movement.

 _"NCIS !''_ they shouted all at once, guns raised again in any direction, looking for someone. Gibbs and Ziva lowered their weapons first after some time, although they could both notice Tony having trouble doing the same. Maybe was he still hoping to see someone in the corner, someone that would give him the proof that McGee was here, so that they hadn't renounced to their previous location for nothing.

''Tony...'' Ziva started to say, feeling her partner's angriness ready to explode.

 _''Damn it !''_

Gibbs approached his agent, that same neutral expression on his face.

''DiNozzo, calm down.''

''No, boss. I refuse ! So what, now ? Is McGee really at the fourth location, so we missed our chance and lost some precious time ?''

''There must be another team over there by now, DiNozzo. If we don't find him, they will.''

''And what if McGee isn't there either ? Maybe we thought we had a great chance to find him, according to our case elements, because 'coincidences do not exist', but who can say if he's still kept prisoner, or even linked to Mark Pierce, uh ?'' Tony begun making a few steps forward, his hand sliding along a part of the wall, nervous. ''It's been weeks, boss...!'' he added, trying to hold back the tension in his fist.

''Abby's back'' Gibbs neutrally commented. ''And we didn't find any bomb on her, any new threat against NCIS, nor any kind of tracer either.''

''Oh, so because they decided to treat her well we have to trust the fact that Tim is still alive ? _Wrong_ , boss, they released Abbs because they wanted to be done with McGee ! And you're both crazy if you think they're gonna do the same with him'' he added, pointing a finger at Gibbs and Ziva. "If we're still working on the theory that Tim thinks he has killed Abby, then why would they free him ? That won't affect her that much if she finally can hug Tim and knows he's safe and sound.''

''You know sometimes it's useless to try to understand too much how these people think in their heads, DiNozzo'' Gibbs begun speaking again, slowly approaching him. "You can make theories, gather proofs and elements, that won't always tell you why these people did what they did, or what for. The only thing I know is that we need to find Tim, dead or alive, and to put these criminals behind bars for what they did to him...and us.''

''It's true, Tony'' Ziva simply commented.

Maybe she wished she could have said something else in order to comfort him, but it seemed like Gibbs, for once, had perfectly explained the situation. But Tony still looked extremely tense.

 _''What the hell...''_ the agent in front of her nervously whispered, still lost in his thoughts. He rubbed his neck and uselessly stared at the white walls...that was so unfair, and now everything was ruined, probably forever. _''Damn it !''_ he brusquely added, that same feeling of unfairness not leaving his guts.

 _''Tony !''_

He quickly took a look at her, then at his hand, where thin red lines were now moving along...the same strange sound was repeating itself around them, strong and annoying, but he could barely hear it, his eyes and mind focused on the blood. _A small piece of glass._ Where was it coming from ? He carelessly noticed Gibbs grabbing his phone, dialing a number...was he calling an ambulance for only a few drops of...

 _''Yeah. It's us, Kurt. We triggered the alarm by accident. Can you do what it takes to turn it off ? Alright. Thanks.''_

''Let me see that...it's okay, no deep wound'' Ziva slightly smiled at Tony, wrapping a tissue around his skin.

Jethro finally hung up the call, walking in the two agents' direction, and if Tony was still a bit lost in his thoughts, he could perfectly picture Gibbs' anger.

''Next time you feel like you cannot handle your emotions, DiNozzo, you stay in the vehicle !''

''Come on, boss, it is just an alarm...''

''Then you'll be the one calling the firemen and the whole necessary medical staff if you decide, one day, to reiterate your action ! Frustration is one thing, Tony, but you cannot be a victim of your compulsive behav...''

Ziva brusquely turned back, hearing the same thing as her team.

''The fire alarm system must have opened something ! Let's go back to the other area !'' she pronounced, the alarm sound starting to play with her nerves, as well.

The trio begun running in the same direction, none of them thinking anymore about arguing...they entered the previous room again and noticed the slight opening in one part of the wall. They all raised their guns and pressed their backs against the white surface, curious and secretly terrified. Gibbs was the first to enter. He didn't say any word and only discovered the additional place, extremely suspicious.

''I told you it seemed bigger on the pl...'' Tony begun speaking before stopping completely, discovering as well the room. The very _small_ one. "What is this, boss ? Something like a panic room ? It can't be just it. It _has_ to be larger.''

Both men started staring at each other for a minute, trying to find answers to the multiple questions waiting inside their brains...

"Who puts a carpet when there is no furniture, nor anything around ?'' Ziva finally asked and knelt down, gun in one hand, her five other fingers slowly grabbing the material... ''Once I dropped some orange juice by mistake on the floor, so I hid it by moving the carpet, so I wouldn't get into troubles'' she shared her anecdote, smiling.

 _''No way...''_ Tony exclaimed at the discovery, not commenting here Ziva's memory.

They all faced in the end the trapdoor under the colorful decoration, the female agent carefully starting opening it.

''Ready ?''

The trio brusquely pointed their guns at the invisible, certain to find anyone under the new secret entrance...but they were still alone. Ziva showed the black ladder with her new available palm and decided to go down first.

 _"Be careful, Ziva''_ Gibbs whispered.

 _''I will.''_

The woman reached the deeper floor without any problem after a handful of seconds, and heard her two other friends and colleagues do the same.

 _''Be careful,''_ she said, trying not to speak too loudly, _"it is very dark in here."_

 _"I hope it's not like these disgusting places in movies, full of dust and dead people...''_ Tony started moaning from behind, a bit back to his old self again.

 _''Let's go''_ Gibbs only neutrally said, switching on his flashlight.

 _''Do you think there is someone in here, Gibbs ?''_ Ziva kept whispering, hearing the sound of her own steps along the strange kind of corridor.

 _''Question is 'did they stay ?'''_

Ziva was nodding in the half darkness when she heard the click of a gun. Gibbs brusquely stopped and slightly hit her back. He had heard it, too.

''What's wrong, David ?'' Tony asked a bit louder, groaning.

''Boss...'' she slowly spoke. ''I think we have a problem.''

An additional click sound resonated in the new large space, although they could all notice, this time, that it wasn't related to a gun. They waited a second or two and full light suddenly filled the entire area.

 _''Tim...!''_ Tony immediately pronounced without paying attention to the details at all, ready to move in his direction, but Gibbs' arm reflexively stopped him.

He deeply exhaled and tried taking, this time, a closer look at the one he hadn't seen in a while, the ghost he had wished so much to see again but had lost hope to talk to... Well, that definitely was a surprise. Tim was clearly standing in front of them...but ready to shoot. Tim strongly wrapped his hands around his gun, pointing it in their direction. The circles under his eyes were darker than ever, and his face pale as hell. He slowly breathed in and out, as if it was something difficult to do, and finally seemed ready to speak, careless.

''Guns down, and hands up. Now.'' The Tim they had in front of them was looking extremely nervous, due to his extreme, visible tiredness, but they could all be certain of one thing : his hands weren't hesitant at all. _''Slowly''_ the former NCIS agent advised and ordered, watching the ones who used to be part of his team execute his demands.

 _''McGee, it's me, Gibbs. We won't do you any bad, we're here to...''_

A bullet brusquely entered the ceiling, next to their heads, and they all momentarily bent down, Tony feeling the thin powder fall on his hair. Tim's eyes deeply stared at them, exhausted and confident.

''Next time you try to speak and manipulate me, Gibbs, you're dead'' McGee slowly said, cold as stone.


	22. War of clones - Part 1

Gibbs and the rest of his team slowly raised their hands, all at once, Jethro slightly furrowing both eyebrows, trying to see if it was the real McGee speaking. Voices sounded the same, although he hadn't especially focused on that element until today, but according to how professional they looked, no doubt they must have worked on it as well. Ziva and Tony's eyes discreetly squinted in turn, too, the two of them hoping to see any sign of a mask. _Too far._ They were definitely too far to see any presence of a mask.  
Tim, or at least the one pretending to be Tim finally made a small movement, inviting his new guests to follow him obediently.

''Now come with me. And no sudden moves, otherwise a few bullets might move, as well, from my gun. _This way._ ''

Tim, or fake Tim's voice was still calm, the facial expression cold as stone. Gibbs sighed as he started walking in his direction. _Yeah._ Following that person anywhere definitely seemed to be a really bad idea. But they couldn't risk doing something irrevocable if they weren't sure who was the man standing in front of them. They needed to come closer. _Closer enough to decide what to do next.  
_ Ziva, Tony and Jethro then kept walking with obedience, the female agent now hoping to be able enough to detect any suspicious detail.

''How did Abby feel when she realized you were decided to kill her ?''

Ziva and Tony brusquely stopped in a state of shock, wishing they could kill him right now. The woman didn't dare turning her head in her colleague's direction, but she could perfectly picture Tony wanting to push his hand against his forehead, feeling desperate. Gibbs definitely couldn't hold his tongue... They all heard the click and silently prayed for their lives.

 _''How did she feel ?''_ Jethro repeated.

Ziva sighed, desperate, too, although there definitely was some curiosity in her mind. Gibbs was obviously waiting for an answer.  
Jethro made a very discreet step forward, his foot barely moving along the floor, hands still up. _Two possibilities_. McGee was answering McGee's way and that was him. Or that was one of them answering something McGee would have said, pretending...  
His new executioner pointed the gun right in front of him, cold evilness in the eyes.

''I thought I had told you to shut up, Gibbs.''

''Guess I'm very bad mannered.''

''She was keeping me from sleeping, if that's what you wanted to hear'' the man neutrally explained after some time, Jethro in his gunsight.

Ziva took a look at Tony, wondering if she should do something. Was Tim the one speaking or one of the men choosing the confusing answer...? She noticed Gibbs' foot slightly moving again, her boss' hands still in the air...

''Your little game is over, McGee'' Jethro coldly articulated.

''Oh, on the contrary, I think it just started.''

 _''Boss, what are you...''_ Tony couldn't help but say, this time, feeling the danger coming.

 _''That's him !''_ Gibbs brusquely shouted, jumping on the one who'd been threatening him. The Tim of the moment begun falling on the floor, a bullet escaping his gun under his fingers' pressure. Gibbs let go a scream of pain as it passed through his shoulder, but managed punching a bit of Tim's face before he left.

 _''Boss, catch it !''_ Tony shouted as he managed running to his gun again with Ziva, Jethro's weapon now sliding along the floor, ready to join him. Gibbs' shoe stopped it, some of his fingers grabbing it almost immediately. ''Boss, how did you know he w... _oh god_ , you're bleeding well.''

''I didn't...'' Jethro painfully exhaled, teeth clenched. ''I only tried to save time.''

''Yeah, and you're an idiot.''

''You'll lecture me later, DiNozzo'' Gibbs quickly said, accepting the palm that was helping him standing up. ''Now we have McGee to save...if it isn't too late, already.''

''Let's get him out of here'' Ziva coldly added, determined, approaching the additional closed entrance. She stared at her phone, noticing the two men waiting for a verdict, hopeless. _Jammers._

''Be careful'' Tony only said in the end, in position, eyes on his two colleagues. ''And remember one thing : whatever we find in that place, we have something they don't have...our uniforms.''

Gibbs sighed and slightly moved his head, inviting him to look up. Tony instantly noticed the numerous cameras, angry.

''What, DiNozzo ? They have our faces, you don't think they have costumes ?'' Gibbs asked, slightly smiling.

The agent heavily breathed in and out, frustrated by the question.

''Let's stop these pervs for good'' he finally added, reflexively shooting a bullet on the main camera.

Gibbs and Ziva reflexively nodded, all counting to three in their heads.

 _''NCIS ! Surrender, you're surrounded !''_

The trio pointed their guns in front of them, already looking for a corner to hide behind or a person to attack...but there was no one ready to fight.

 _''NCIS !''_ Gibbs shouted even more, nervouser than ever, that same pain in his shoulder.

His eyes moved from left to right, looking for, if not 'in need of' a target...and the lights went out.

 _''Boss !''_ Tony and Ziva screamed altogether.

 _"DiNozzo ! David !''_ the voice called and answered at the same time. _''DiNoz...''_

 _''Tony !''_

 _''Ziva !''_ Tony started said, in turn, before a hand begun keeping him from talking.

The female agent tightened her grip around her weapon, overthinking and barely moving in the darkness, her thoughts running faster than ever... A fist suddenly hit her back, pushing her violently to the floor...and the lights finally went on after what seemed to last an eternity, Tony dizzily, but immediately approaching her, glad to see her safe.

''Ziva...'' he exclaimed, trying to pull her next to him, in security, but the woman's knee immediately punched his ribs, savage.

''Who are you...!'' she brusquely questioned him, fire in the eyes.

''Ziva, it's me, I...''

 _''Prove it! ''_

Tony raised both arms in front of his face, trying to protect himself.

 _''What are you doing, David !''_ he finally yelled at her before noticing the strangest thing ever in a corner of the giant area, bewildered. His heart stopped for a second as the man watched himself moving a few feet away from them...but the pairs of hands suddenly grabbed his neck, strangling him.

''Ziva, it's me, Tony...'' the second one finally promised, running in their direction, but Ziva's available leg kept kicked him and kept him from approaching, her sweating forehead testifying of her extreme confusion. ''Look...David'' the red, tired face told her in the end. ''I drop my gun. I won't use it, I promise.''

Ziva scarily gave herself the right to hesitate and watched the man slowly dive his hand in his pocket, her potentially real colleague getting rid of the dark weapon as she carefully started to release the neck.

''I'll do the same...'' the second Tony immediately pronounced, imitating the first one.

''Where are the others ?'' Ziva stressfully asked, making a step backward.

''...because I am the real Tony, Ziva.''

''I said 'Where are the others' !'' the female agent repeated, the sweating increasing along her face.

''David, this man is a killer, you have to...''

''No, _this_ man is the killer, David, if you can't see this, you're...''

 _''Gibbs ! Tell me where is Gibbs !''_ the woman stepped back another time and threatened the two men in front, raising her gun, breathless.

''David,'' the first Tony trembled, keeping eye contact, ''if you are shooting me...''

''David, please don't shoot me, I swear I...''

 _''Shut up !''_

Ziva's eyes rolled from left to right, nervously inspecting the area, her hands orienting the gun the same way, first on Tony, then on...Tony. She painfully swallowed the tepid saliva willing to flow inside her throat, anxious. ''Where is...Gibbs ?'' she tried speaking neutrally, although it was clearly hard to do it at this point.

''Ziva...''

''Shut up'' she dryly repeated, pointing the gun at one man, then at the other. ''I do not know who you are.''

''And who can say you are yourself, as well ?''

The woman suddenly heard the click behind her back, both men in front surprised by the discovery. The female agent froze for a handful of seconds, finally slowly turning back, facing her interlocutor.

''Who are you ?'' she coldly pronounced.

The person she had just asked the question to made a small step forward, on her guard.

''I am the real Ziva David" the woman said and smiled, confident.


	23. War of clones - Part 2

The two strange twins stared at the women with the same surprise in the eyes, curious and bewildered.

''Who is the real Tony ?'' the first female agent coldly asked, gun still pointed in front of her own double.

''Tony, do not listen to her, _I_ am the real Ziva" the second one slowly pronounced, still not moving, the male duet facing her back. ''Now tell me where is Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, you little bitch,'' she continued ''and which one of your minions behind is pretending to be my colleague ?''

''Turn back'' one of the woman ordered. _''And slowly.''_

The second one obeyed almost immediately and made eye contact with the improbable male duet again.

''Tony, I...''

''Shut up'' Ziva number two warned her, the discreet click of her gun resonating in the entire place.

''Tell me who is the real Tony, or I swear to God you will die in atrocious pain'' Ziva calmly said, immobile.

''Are we really gonna keep asking ?'' Tony number one slightly grinned with irony, sweating.

''Luckily, I don't have anything else to do, but looking for answers'' the man next to him brusquely retorted.

Both men suspiciously stared at each other for a second, if not an eternity, one of the interlocutors' hand discreetly looking for the weapon it had previously let fall to the floor...the other Tony noticed the movement and took a quick look at the two women, seeming ready to risk everything. _What else was there to lose anyway ?_ Ziva felt the gun's barrel press against her back, knowing it was the end.

' _'Tony, I...''_ she started saying, desperately looking back at the two potential ones.

''I love you too, Ziva David''.

It was as if time had just stopped in the middle of nowhere. Adrenaline ran through both real agent's veins and Ziva bent down, quick as a flash, kicking the other woman with one of her legs, getting rid of the weapon. Tony violently grabbed the opposite fist which had managed taking a gun again, and pushed him to the floor... Ziva strongly wrapped her hand around her rival's ponytail and pushed the woman's face against the wall, her new victim not giving up before fighting back, punching her jaw with intensity, both women falling altogether...

''Where is McGee, you son of a bitch !'' the real Tony half asked and threatened, palms around the second man's neck, looking for revenge, if not to get rid of the mask.

Tony felt the skull hitting his own once the other man freed himself from his grip, his brain turning suddenly dizzy.

''You think she knows who you are, DiNozzo ? But once the fight is over, how will you recognize her with blood everywhere, uh ? How will you even know that's her ?'' the evil double questioned him and smiled, red liquid between his teeth.

Tony seemed ready to retort something, but both his wrists joined each other under someone's strength and a knee violently hit his back. He clumsily moved his feet despite the pain, trying to take back his gun.

''And you...'' he finally said, breathless. ''How will you feel once I'll have killed you ?''

One of his foot unexpectedly managed hitting the second Tony's ankle, pushing him in the floor's direction. He heavily breathed in and out, listening to the fight's sounds around without taking a second to watch...he jumped and let his body slide, hands held next to the gun, stressfully trying to catch it.

 _''No...!''_

Both Tonys brusquely turned their heads, staring at the women, panicked...one dead body, and still no idea of who it could be. _Was Ziva David still alive ?_  
The fake male agent was the first one to react, back to reality again. He ran to the other DiNozzo, gun in hands again, ready to kill, and the bullet escaped the weapon.

 _''TONY !''_ the feminine voice suddenly resonated, one of the women staring at the bodies on the other side.

One of them slowly moved, his eyes staring at his gun, blood drops along his face...

''Ziva...'' he mumbled, watching her come closer, before immediately standing up, noticing the extreme suspicion in both their minds.

''Who are you !'' he threatened, gun held in front of him.

''Answer the question first !'' she threatened as well, gun pointed at him.

The strange duet stared at each other without saying a word, breathless...

''I'll start first'' Tony slowly said, carefully getting rid of the first buttons of his shirt, under the bulletproof jacket. ''You can see...no mask'' he dared continuing, secretly hoping for the woman in front of him not to shoot...one additional second and he'd know. He certainly was the stupidest man on this earth.

''Oh my God, Tony...'' she almost exclaimed, approaching.

 _''Wait !''_ he warned her, his gun touching her own bulletproof jacket, stopping her. She deeply stared at him, heavily exhaling. ''Your neck, first'' he lowly articulated. Tony ended up pressing a hand along the woman's skin, strongly and softly all at once, feeling her throat... His finger finally touched the corner of it, looking for something to maybe get rid off...

''Damn it, David...!'' he suddenly said, eyes wet and thoughts away, wrapping his arms around her. ''I thought... _God_ , I thought I had lost you for good. This is...this is insane.''

''Thank you for giving me the strength to fight'' Ziva slowly said, chuckling. ''Who could have known, maybe...maybe you weren't even here and they had two doubles of you.''

''I could have said the same about you, David.''

''Why you knew exactly what to say.''

''Why I knew exactly what to say'' he confirmed her words, chuckling back.

''Yeah'' she agreed, smiling, before momentarily freezing. ''Tony...''

''What ?''

 _''Gibbs_. Where are Gibbs and McGee ?''

''I don't know'' he answered, his eyes leaving her face.

''We have to bring them back...if there aren't more people.''

''Let's go'' Tony instantly reacted, looking for any viable direction. ''And, Ziva ?'' he added, turning back.

''Yes, Tony ?''

''You'd better stay next to me.''

''I will.''


	24. War of clones - Part 3

_"Where do you think they are ?"_ Ziva whispered, staring at the door.

 _''What about behind ?''_ Tony said, grinning.

 _"And in what kind of shape ?''_

The female agent sighed and smiled emotionlessly, the back of her head touching the wall, the corner of her lips shining because of the blood remains.

 _''That hurts ?''_ Tony questioned her.

 _''It's alright"_ Ziva answered, wiping her mouth. _''That bitch had a wicked right jab.''_

 _''Hopefully you kill like no one else.''_

 _''Yeah.''_ Ziva wrapped her hands around her gun, silently hoping for the rest of the team to be alright. She might constantly act as if she was some kind of superwoman, she didn't know this time if she could handle any new surprise. She quickly took a look at the ceiling. That place looked like a bunker. _''Hey, Tony''_ she finally added.

 _''What, David ?''_ he asked, focused on their future task, wrapping his hand around his gun, as well.

 _''Thank you again...for telling me you were alive, in that other room.''_

 _''You're welcome.''_

 _''I know it must have been hard to pronounce these words, even if it was to...''_

 _''I said what I had to say, David._ You ready ?'' he asked, louder.

''More than ever.''

''Let's go, then.''

Ziva nodded and raised her weapon, waiting for Tony to open that door... Were they secretly hidden behind, waiting to assault them, or even to throw a bomb at them...or would they simply discover they was nobody on the other side, if only dead bodies they were desperately hoping not to see ? No need, this time, to introduce themselves. They just needed to _act_. Tony nodded, too, and pressed the handle with one hand, gun in the other one. Ziva entered the space first, ready to shoot as soon as necessary, Tony be her side...he noticed the deep silence and moved his chin in one direction, discreetly ordering his teammate to check the left part of the area.

''Nobody'' Ziva lowly spoke after some time, double-checking every corner, still unsure of what it could mean.

''No one in here as well, Ziva, except _me_.''

''Sounds logical'' she said and sighed without looking at her interlocutor, now feeling worrier about Gibbs and McGee.

If they weren't here, how far would they need to go in order to find them ? How many other doors ? Were they even still there ? She quickly grabbed her phone another time, hopeless. _Still no signal_. She sighed and thought of coming back, next to Tony. It had only been a matter of minutes, but their whole stay in that bunker since they had arrived looked like an eternity, already.

''I thought you were dead'' the voice continued.

''What did you say ?'' she asked in the end, the agent's voice taking her out of her brief reverie. Now that she was focusing on the voice again, she could notice something like a mumbling, someone certainly trying to speak but voluntarily holding back the sound, as if to... She immediately turned back and pointed her gun in front of them, facing the male duet. Tony kept his arms half in the air, not saying a word, nervously smiling. ''Let him go, McGee'' she said right away. ''Let him go or I shoot.''

''Calm down, David, I'm perfectly alright'' Tony stressfully grinned, still not moving. ''I'm sure...we can't talk about it, right ?'' he added, feeling the gun's barrel against his neck.

''Why talking about it ?'' Tim calmly asked.

''Remember you don't know if he's the _real_ McGee, Ziva'' Tony continued speaking without listening, the female agent's gun still pointed at them.

''I don't care if he is, Tony'' she coldly commented, not moving from her spot. ''He can be Tim or one of Mark Pierce's friends, I'll shoot if he dares sharing any of his bullets.''

''They told me you were against me from the beginning'' Tim slightly trembled, pressing the gun deeper on Tony's neck. ''And that's exactly what you are.''

''We're not, Timmy...we're the good guys'' the other agent kept smiling with difficulty, ready to face death any moment.

''Then where are they, Tony...the 'bad guys' ? I guess the blood on both your faces doesn't come from nowhere.''

''They're sleeping in Hell, where they deserve to be'' Ziva answered instead of her teammate, her index finger confidently stroking the trigger.

''Sleeping...'' Tim coldly articulated, briefly chuckling. ''How _wonderful_ it must be.''

One of his eyes seemed to turn wet in the obscurity, if only for a handful of seconds, although Ziva could perfectly notice the lack of emotion. If McGee was this man, then they had really transformed him. She stared at the duet again, knowing one of them could be a fake one. They had had someone pretending to be Abby, right, finally getting killed...so what if this man in front of her, who was threatening Tony, was one of them, too, willing to be sacrificed ?

''Maybe some food and water could do you some good as well, if you want my opinion, McGee...you look pretty pale'' Tony lowly pronounced with slight irony, hiding his anxieties behind some kind of fun again.

 _''Last chance, McGee''_ Ziva finally pronounced, not caring anymore about any extra conversation, still not knowing if she was addressing her words to the good one. ''Let him go, or I shoot. And trust me when I say you won't be able to kill the both of us'' she added, cold as stone.

Tim painfully swallowed and took a look at her...he then stared at his gun, quick as a flash, and pressed the trigger, while Ziva did what she had promised to do.

 _''Ziva, no...!''_ Tony exclaimed before facing darkness, the two men heavily falling to the floor...

— — — — — — — — — —

...Gibbs opened his eyes, a burning sensation irritating his shoulder. _The bullet, right..._ didn't seem to have penetrated his skin too deep, but still, that was the best sensation on earth. He blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the other pain inside his head, wondering where he was.

''Mc...McGee ?'' he slowly articulated, wishing he wasn't right.

But the silhouette in front of him was definitely the one he hadn't wanted to expect, the one of his former agent, Timothy McGee.

''Hello, Gibbs'' the man coldly said.

''Are you the real or the fake one, Tim ? And you'd better answer my question now, because I'm getting exhausted by this situation.''

''Your guess, boss.''

Gibbs stared at the man another time from his spot, trying to move the hands under the ropes, worried and angry all at once.

''What have they done to you, McGee ? What have they possibly done to you to make you think the whole NCIS Agency, including yourself, deserved to suffer ?''

Tim immediately walked in his direction, his gun's barrel pressed against Jethro's temple.

''Why do I always have to tell you to shut up ?''

 _''Guess I'm very talkative...''_ Gibbs pronounced with irony, although the click sound of Tim's gun made him momentarily close his eyes.

''No, you're not.''

''So what, now ?'' Jethro asked, a bit breathless, his shoulder still terribly hurting. ''You have everything you wanted ? Did everyone suffer enough so that you can kill a few more people, and simply run away ? People will wait for you upstairs, if they aren't already joining us inside.''

''I surely have in mind to clear the place, now'' Tim coldly said, Gibbs' provocative smile disappearing as he watched his former agent open his jacket, revealing a bomb.

''You'll die, too'' he immediately commented, trying not to show any trace of fear.

''What are you scared about, boss ? To lose your team, or to know that the last memory of my person people will have is me, being a terrorist ? If that's what you care about, please do not worry too much, I am perfectly alright with my choices.''

''Well, I'm not'' Jethro dryly said, secretly terrified. ''I am not alright at all with your choices, McGee.''

''Then you'd better sleep, Agent Gibbs, then you won't have to see any of this.''

Tim grabbed the small remote with one hand, slightly stroking it, his other hand turning into a fist, punching Jethro's face. Gibbs dizzily faced darkness, but then reality again, the blow not being too strong enough to help him face full obscurity...he didn't think about NCIS, nor Tim anymore, but simply about his life, and the one of the others that might still be around, so he clumsily grabbed the jacket of the man in front of him, not knowing exactly what he was intending to do...and he heard the gun shot, additional blood now flowing on him. Tim's weight brusquely fell on him, heavy and inert, and Gibbs winked a few times again, trembling.

 _''Tim, no...''_ he lowly pronounced, in a state of shock, before staring at the person, standing on the other side. ''Who is it ?'' Jethro asked, not minding anymore if he looked fearless or not. _''Ziva...?''_ he questioned her, furrowing both eyebrows. ''Ziva...'' he repeated, still getting no answer, not knowing if she was the real one. _''Wh...Tony is, and...he...''_ he tried to speak, Tim's lifeless eyes and body still half lying on him, forever pale. ''He...he has a _bomb_ '' he managed saying in the end, not checking if she'd definitely be the real version of his agent.

''We'll have it checked immediately, but that's certainly a fake one, Gibbs'' the woman told him after running in his direction in this almost empty place, kneeling down in front of him, untying the ropes around his wrists and ankles... ''Boss...we were attacked by 'McGee' as well'' she added, gravely. ''I checked the weapon he tried to use... _empty_ '' she confirmed after a pause, noticing Gibbs' insistant gaze.

The man noticed another sound and slightly jumped, suspicious.

 _''Tony...?''_ he asked, not moving from his seat, the second agent leaving the shadow.

''It's over, boss. At least for now.''

 _''What do you mean...''_ Jethro mumbled and rubbed his wrists, overthinking. _''Is...''_

Tony slowly approached and took a look at the dead man next to his boss, feeling sick.

''I told you we got attacked as well" Ziva said.

''Yes, _and_ ?'' Gibbs asked, trying to stand up.

''At least we know now who the real McGee was'' Tony added and sighed, looking at her.


	25. The consequences of our acts

Gibbs completely stood up after hearing the terrible news' details, this time, feeling his legs ready to give up with life, although he knew he would have given anything to walk away from the fake McGee's body, from these immobile eyes still staring at him, looking so much like someone he had known. And there was another one in that other room... _oh, God._ He made a first step forward, hesitant like a child who would start learning moving by himself.

 _'_ 'Wait a second, let me help'' Tony immediately said, raising an arm.

''I'm alright, DiNozzo'' Jethro reflexively retorted, trying to get rid of his agent's hand. ''I just want to see him.''

''Okay, boss, but then you're gonna have to get a check-up, as much as this probable fake bomb, that's quite a blow that you got on your face.'' Gibbs didn't commented and simply stared at both his agents. _They had received quite a lot, as well._ He finally accepted the physical support and walked away from the first body with them, secretly exhausted, meeting the man in uniform promptly inviting the trio to evacuate that first space. "Ziva just went up and asked for help before she freed you, while I was staying with...now a few of these guys are in the other room, and a few others are coming'' Tony continued as they left the first part of the building, hesitating.

Gibbs didn't express his thoughts, although he couldn't help but feel guilty for not staying where that bomb was getting analyzed, as if he had given up not one, but two similar agents. He only slightly shook his head in the end, as if to make that unbelievable idea disappear from his tired brain.

''When you called Kurt and told him to deactivate the alarm, he did so, and the secret entrance leading to here closed after some time behind us. It was only a matter of minutes, place was big, and...''

''Any survivors on Pierce's side, Ziva ?'' Jethro asked without truly caring about her previous explanation, before noticing Tony's facial expression. '' _What ?_ Can't anyone give me a basic answer to my question ?''

Tony sighed and kept walking in that large area, now thinking aloud.

''There's a long way to go, boss, we'll have to identify all the people under these masks.''

''They're just starting the work with special suits, you know, in case there...and of course, Ducky and Jimmy are joining us ASAP." ziva immediately added, watching Gibbs turning mad.

''Boss, we know how Mark Pierce looked because we had his ID, but we don't know yet if he _is_ dead and then under one of these masks, or if he is still somewhere in 'high places' and then...''

''...commanding from outside" Gibbs finished Tony's sentence, exhaling.

"Yeah, that's the idea.''

Jethro kept walking until he finally saw him, lying on that stretcher, inert. He instantly got rid of Tony's supportive grip and managed moving his legs on his own. _''McGee''_ he nervously pronounced, scared to face these same eyes he had already confronted before. The blood had half dried along his chest, staining the dirty, smelly clothes. Gibbs painfully sighed and swallowed, grabbing the cold hand.

''Sir, I really have to go, and you'd better head upstairs, too'' the man from the medical staff respectfully pronounced, looking at him.

''Boss...'' Tony added, quickly joining him, unable to end the sentence he had just started.

 _But maybe there was nothing to say, after all..._

''You shot him ?'' Gibbs asked, calm.

'' _I_ did'' Ziva answered, breaking the terrible silence. ''He was about to kill Tony, he...had his gun, pointed at his neck.''

A second man from the medical staff suddenly joined the first one, and they both slowly started leaving, taking advantage of the conversation coming.

'' _Why,_ Ziva ?'' he questioned her, briefly staring at the leaving body.

''Why what ?'' she questioned him, too, turning cold again.

''Why did you shoot his shoulder, if you knew he was about to kill Tony ?''

Heavy silence filled the place another time, each agent staring at the others for an eternal handful of seconds.

''Is that a thanks or a reproach ?'' Ziva finally said with suspicion, walking away from the duet.

''I'll check on Ducky and Palmer'' Tony reacted automatically, giving them some space.

Gibbs took a quick look at all the mess around, staring at the numerous dead people supposed to have represented them, being put in dark bags...then at the woman.

 _"Ziva..."_

''I did what I _had_ to do, Gibbs'' she brusquely retorted, turning back. ''I _had_ to shoot him somewhere, but not here'' she started speaking, pointing a finger at her heart. ''If I was fast enough, he was under control before Tony had a chance to die. If I wasn't, Tony was dead and Tim immobilized, but at least I wouldn't have taken the risk to be responsible for the death of both my friends. _What ?_ '' she added, blaming him for remaining silent. ''You want to tell me you're surprised, because in Mossad I would have killed my own neighbor with no hesitation ?''

''No.''

''So you think I am _weaker_ now ?''

''No. I think you never hesitate to shoot, you just think of the consequences when it comes to a twisted situation implicating someone you care about. I bet this is certainly the best reaction I can expect from my agents.'' He noticed Ziva ready to say something in order to contradict him, but he spoke faster than her. ''I _expect_ my agents to be confident with their actions, but capable to not make justice by themselves.''

''But...''

''That's all, Ziva. Now go back upstairs with DiNozzo and accept to be checked by someone'' he added, neutral, raising a hand.

"And what about you ?''

''I'm coming.''

— — — — — — — — — —

...Gibbs approached the hospital room with a part of the team behind him, his almost smile of relief disappearing at the sight of the cuffs. He immediately left it, the agent lying on the bed not even noticing him, and ran in the doctor in charge of Tim's direction. The man in white gown suddenly froze and interrupted his current conversation with a colleague, bewildered. He quickly stared at the numerous faces, half of them basically colored by the blows they had received hours ago, if not scratches.

''NCIS, I guess...'' he heavily exhaled, wishing he could be home.

''You're guessing right'' Tony said straight away, ironically.

 _''Why is Tim handcuffed to his bed, he's...''_ Abby started, followed by Tony again.

 _''You'd better tell us now wh...''_

 _''This is absolutely unaccept...''_

Doctor Fleggers brusquely raised a palm in front of him, serious.

''Can you just all calm down and tell me who is charge of the team, please ?''

 _''I am''_ Gibbs answered instantly. ''Now tell me why my agent is treated like a murderer in one of your hospital rooms ?''

''Hello, Agent Gibbs, I am Doctor Fle...'' he started speaking again, ready to shake his interlocutor's hand. _''Alright''_ he continued, facing the terrible eyes. ''First let me tell you this is not one of my orders. I received this one from Director Vance, telling me...''

'' _I_ am the one in charge of Agent McGee. Two men will now be designated to look after that room.'' Gibbs showed his badge and sighed, wishing he could kill Leon for what he'd done...he'd take care of him later, now he needed to do anything possible in order to free McGee from these silver bracelets.

''Security is already aware of that, but I'll make a few phone calls and do what I can do about the handcuffs, but I'm truly sorry to say I can't let you in anyway at the very moment. I was told as well that Agent McGee should be rehydrated properly and sent to sleep before he could be interrogated.''

''Interrogated ? _Now ?_ '' Tony asked, shocked.

''Not 'now' exactly, but the sooner the better. I bet you think this is extremely precipitated, and as a doctor, I perfectly do agree with you, but for the rest of it, I am sure you know better than I do about this case going on and the responsibilities, and there is nothing else I am habilitated to do... Now if you will excuse me, I am gonna help your friend face darkness and build up some of his energy.''

''He isn't sleeping on his own, after all that exhaustion ?'' Tony asked. ''He was missing for weeks.''

''Tiredness, if I can explain it that way, is like anything else. Even if you're damaging your body and brain by your extreme actions, until you don't get to some irremediable point, you give yourself a new habit and are, therefore, able to change the old ones...you have no idea how many limits a human can push before he breaks down.''

''Well, now we have an idea...'' Tony said and sighed, watching Tim's inert silhouette from afar.

''Your friend is now perfectly immobile, like a sleeper, but still, his body won't be able to let him go, unless we're helping him a bit. I'll have someone telling you when you'll get the authorization to talk to him, or at least _see_ him'' the doctor finally promised before heading to his patient room, alone.

' _'What's the plan, Gibbs ?''_ Abby exclaimed as soon as he left, her eyes turning wet. But Jethro simply left without a word, involuntarily avoiding the so expected coming hug. _''Tony !''_ she continued, extremely frustrated. _''What is that supposed to mean ? What's the plan if we can't see him...!''_

The agent turned back and completely faced the woman in front of him, thinking...

''I might be wrong, Abbs, although I'm pretty sure Gibbs is about to kill Vance.''


	26. Is it over ?

_''Maybe some food and water could do you some good as well, if you want my opinion, McGee...you look pretty pale.''_

 _''Last chance, McGee. Let him go, or I shoot. And trust me when I say you won't be able to kill the both of us.''_

 _''Ziva, no...!''_

The female agent slightly and discreetly jumped, half waking up, back to reality. Her ears got used again to the numerous phone and elevator's sounds around, and she noticed Tony, staring at her.

''What's wrong, Tony ?'' she asked, suspicious.

''Nothing. Why ?''

She didn't answer and focused another time on her screen, not minding Tony's eyes on her, looking for a way to escape any useless conversation. She double-clicked on one of her old files and took a look at it, although she didn't seem to pay attention at all.

 _''Tony...! Tony, answer me, please...! Tony !''_

 _''Am I...in Hell, already ?''_

 _''Oh my God, Tony...!''_

 _''Ouch...! Why are you slapping me, David...?''_

 _''I am so sorry, Tony ! I...I am so happy you're alive...''_

''Earth to Ziva, phone is ringing...''

''What ?''

Tony faced Ziva's almost angry eyes, pointing a finger at her phone. He finally sighed and took the call.

"Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, how can I help ?''

 _''Oh, Tony, I thought you might be with Gibbs at that time...''_

''No, Duck'' the agent commented, chuckling ironically. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs asked to be...left alone with Director Vance.''

 _''He didn't ask anything and just ran to his office, am I right ?''_ the ME questioned him, slightly laughing.

''Indeed, Duck. You wanted to see us ?''

' _'Any of you, actually. As I know what you've been through, I thought you might want to have a confirmation of who could have been behind these masks, and know about my - very simple, I must admit - diagnostic.''_

''Sure. Ziva can join you right now, then there will still be someone in the office, and...''

''I still have to work on the list, Tony'' Ziva interrupted him. ''Maybe you can go down, and...''

''Wait a sec, Ducky'' Tony said, putting a hand on the phone. ''What list, Ziva ? We precisely are waiting for Ducky and Abby to tell us the names of...''

''That's...another list I'm talking about, Tony'' Ziva retorted, annoyed. _''You know...''_

Tony watched her hand inviting him to go on with the conversation and did so, surprised.

''Hey Duck, it's me again, Tony'' he uselessly said, smiling. ''Guess what ? I'm joining you. Let's know some more together about these pervs.''

 _''Waiting for you, then, young lad.''_

Tony hung up right away and took a last look at Ziva before leaving. He might have wanted to tell her something, but she was already focused on her screen again.

— — — — — — — — — —

...The woman noticed the angry man coming and immediately stood up from behind her desk, perfectly knowing her words wouldn't make any difference. She then simply did as always, hopeless.

 _''Agent Gibbs, you can't...''_

Jethro walked past Cynthia without caring and pressed his hand on the silver handle, his blood boiling inside.

''Why am I not surprised, Gibbs ?'' Vance immediately questioned him, sighing. ''Hello to you too, please have a seat...'' he added, approaching his own.

''I don't have any time for seating, Leon, nor do you. We've been 'seating' for too long while this team was turning into a whole mess, and now I hear that you've been ordering _my_ agent to be handcuffed to his hospital bed ?''

''By 'hearing', do you mean like 'hearing from someone' or 'making a scene in front of the doctor in charge' ?''

''Do you think it's funny, Leon ?''

 _''Gibbs...''_

''McGee isn't a suspect, Leon ! Free him now !''

''You can yell at me as much as you want, Gibbs,'' Vance begun speaking louder, walking in Jethro's direction, ''but it isn't all about Special Agent McGee being a suspect, but Special Agent McGee being dangerous for others, especially _himself_ , after a traumatic period of his life.''

''Dangerous ? _How ?_ ''

''Oh, you can be mad at me, Gibbs, but do not pretend you do not know what I'm talking about. Special Agent McGee has been tortured for weeks, highly manipulated by people pretending to be us, describing us as evil people, without mentioning the fact that he almost died on his birthday. Should I continue the list or do you understand, at least, a little bit why I am acting this way ?''

''That is certainly a birthday he'll remember, Leon...'' Jethro briefly chuckled, starting moving in the office like a caged lion.

''I won't contradict you about that, but now I have to act like a Director.''

''McGee _isn't_ a criminal !''

''Not a born one, for sure, but I am very curious to know about your reports, you know, the lines mentioning McGee pointed a gun at you and your team, although I am not sure to actually need them, with all the cameras around testifying of the amazing fight !''

''It wasn't always the real Tim...''

''But it _was_ at some point, Gibbs, and the bullet in Agent McGee's shoulder doesn't come from nowhere ! Agent Ziva David shot him because he was threatening to kill Agent DiNozzo !'' He noticed Jethro, ready to explode, and immediately continued. '' _Am I right, Agent Gibbs ?_ Am I right about Agent McGee pointing a gun at Agent DiNozzo, with Agent David trying to warn him, or am I just a liar, pretending to abuse my Director's functions ?'' Heavy silence filled the place for a handful of seconds before he started adding. ''Agent McGee will spend the necessary days at the hospital, and have appointments with one of our best psychologists, and will be interrogated the sooner he'll get some of his energy back. Handcuffs will stay until I judge there is no risk against anyone... _including himself_ '' he repeated.

''So you'll just leave him to dozens of docs and hope he'll get better ? He can _talk_ to us, if I could just...''

''Agent McGee is different than you, Gibbs. He doesn't have a boat to build with a whiskey bottle to empty at night, he _needs_...''

''You are making a mistake, Leon, and you'll _have_ to pay the consequences...'' Gibbs said as he furrowed both eyebrows, sighing.

 _''Is that a direct threat, Gibbs, or a simple free advice from one of my collaborators ?''_ Vance asked from afar, watching the man leave and slam the silver door behind him. He finally approached his phone, too exhausted to even think of getting out of his office. ''Cynthia, can you call the hospital and ask for some news from Doctor Fleggers, please ?''

 _''Certainly, Director.''_

''Thank you.''

 _''Is everything alright, Director ?''_

''Perfect, Cynthia...'' he answered, exhaling deeply. ''Let's say I just think I'm too old now for cockfighting.''


	27. Missing body

''Yo, yo, yo, Duck !'' Tony exclaimed, nervously raising both hands in the ME's direction. ''So what do we got ?'' he added, finally diving his palms in his pockets.

''Well, that is quite an introduction, my dear Anthony...'' Ducky quickly commented and smiled, Jimmy entering the space a second later, waving at Tony. ''As I told you a moment ago, there is no big surprise concerning the causes of our evil men's deaths...the two bullets you fired entered the skin here and there'' he continued, pointing a finger at a first body. ''Our Ziva was a bit more precise, if I can say'' he added, showing then the second body. ''Right in the heart.''

''Yeah...'' Tony commented, chuckling. ''Ziva likes to get straight to the point.''

"Yes, indeed.''

''What is that ?'' the agent questioned the ME, noticing a tattoo.

''I am very glad you ask, Anthony. As you can see, we have the same one on our men and woman's arm...seems like there really was some kind of 'reunion' between these three, or at least some link, like the existence of a clan, if I can say.''

 _''Men...''_ Tony started aloud, forgetting one second there truly was another dead man in Ducky and Palmer's work area, the one who had pretended very...

''Great, wasn't he ?'' Ducky interrupted him, guessing his thoughts, showing a third body. ''Obviously not enough to survive, but still good to make you all hesitate about his real identity. Do not judge you too bad, Anthony, this is not your fault at all.''

''Yeah, right.''

The ME noticed the nervousness of the agent and discreetly moved his chin in Jimmy's direction, silently inviting him to leave them alone.

''It was very hard for me as well, you know, young lad, to see that man. Thank God, even if I knew it was not the real Tim I had in front of me...''

''Mask was still on him ?'' Tony asked, feeling suddenly a bit sick.

''It was. Slightly damaged because of the bullet, but still on him, yes. Great quality, by the way. Could have perfectly fooled me.''

''I am sorry, Duck.''

''Oh, please do not be, Anthony'' the ME smilingly reacted, patting him on the shoulder. ''The ones I really do care about are Ziva, Timothy, Jethro and yourself, who had to go through this horrible experience. How is Gibbs doing, by the way, if I may ask ? I guess the conversation with Director Vance must have been quite...'active', unless they are still speaking together at that very moment...''

''Gibbs is Gibbs'' Tony answered. ''You know, he had fake Tim's blood on him before knowing it was...well, 'fake Tim'. I guess that must have been quite disturbing, even for him.''

''And I am sure he will not ever tell you how traumatic that moment has been...''

''Yeah. So the same tattoo on the best actor of the day ?'' he questioned the ME, approaching the third body.

 _"Exactly, Tony !''_ a voice suddenly exclaimed, an additional feminine face appearing in the middle of a screen.

''Abigail, what a pleasure to see you, although you know I am not very fond of surprises of that kind.''

 _''Sorry, Ducky ! I just thought I might help you right now by bringing some missing infos ! Hey, you !''_

''We're listening, Abby'' Tony commented.

 _''How are you, Tony ! And Ziva ! I know we've just seen each other a moment ago, but I keep being so, so worried about you, and...''_

''Abby...'' Ducky and Tony retorted all at once, reflexively sighing.

 _''OkeyDucky, let's move on to the next subject ! Sorry,''_ she added, chuckling, _''I really had this one loaded up. So,''_ she continued, staring at the duet from her virtual spot, _''tattoos are quite old, according to the ink...''_

''...and the texture of the skin, I do confirm'' Ducky almost proudly said, nodding.

 _''Exactly, why I think this isn't their first shot together. Writing is pretty cool, to be honest, although I'm not sure about the artwork...''_

''Abby...''

 _''But what is important to know is that they had been done approximately at the same time. The name under it, 'Persona', is coming from Latin. It shows their ability to turn into someone else, why, again, I sincerely think this isn't their first time they're...''_

''Their names, Abbs ?''

 _''All in the system, but not the ones expected ! Patrick Parker was fake Tony, Jordana Marlons fake Ziva, and Bruce Trank fake Tim. How funny, when you think about these disgustingly drawn chameleons...it's just as if they had given us the answer to our question ! Really, I mean, you could have simply rolled up their sleeves, and...''_

''We didn't really have the time to roll up their sleeves while they were trying to kill us and pretend to be a crazy version of ourselves, too.''

 _''That's definitely a good point.''_

''And so ? All these name apart, the last one, Mark Pierce is supposed to be Gibbs ?'' Tony added, mostly talking to himself.

 _''They all spent some time in prison, although not in the same ones, and not as much as Mark, himself...but it seems like it was a case Pierce definitely wanted over. Really, he let them all die and disappeared in the end, what kind of man is that ?''_

''A coward, Abby, no less, no more'' Ducky immediately shared his opinion.

 _''Yeah, don't take it wrong, Ducky, but I had another word in mind''_ Abby retorted, chuckling.

''So what ?'' Tony interrupted them. ''You think they already operated with that kind of plan ? Wearing masks in order to manipulate someone ?''

 _''Or a whole group of people, obviously...''_ she continued, exhaling deeply.

''But...what were the charges ? Have they already been arrested with masks in their possession ? That place we went to, that place over there was huge...Pierce must have been working very hard on that plan, he couldn't have gotten another chance to have such a big area to execute it...''

''Not being arrested fort that kind of delict does not mean they have not ever done it, Anthony...''

''So how can we know there is a link ?'' Tony kept questioning them, now a bit angry. ''It's good to have proofs, but even better to have the people related to them.''

 _''I'm coming to that, grumpy boy ! Patrick Parker's cousin is, or was a mask maker''_ Abby revealed the information, visibly proud. _''I mean, not only a mask maker, but at least he was half of the time. Gordon Parker worked for almost ten years for a small company called Movie Mountains.''_

''And what is that, a company working for _House of Wax_ ?'' the male agent said, ironically.

 _''I sent Gibbs the address, in case you might want to pay him a little visit. He might have stopped working, but...''_

''...but you don't stop the talent'' Tony ended her sentence. ''Thanks, Abbs.''

 _''De nada !''_

Screen suddenly turned dark and Ducky immediately approached the man next to him, patting him on the shoulder again, trying to smile. That was a lot of informations that tired brain had just received, but at least it was suspicious enough, if not truly a reason for prosecution. Mark Pierce had to be fake Gibbs, and that fake Gibbs had certainly decided, for a reason or another, to end up his friends' lives after one last shot with them.

''Something bothering you, Anthony ?'' he finally asked, suspicious.

''They must be more than four.''

''Enlighten me ?''

''Oh come on, Ducky, you think it's magic ? If they have done it before, how on earth can it be possible for the other potential victims to be about our heights and weights ? I know it isn't calculated to the centimeter, and I don't know how far they went, but still...I might be wrong, but I seriously doubt that all their victims were about our general sizes.''

''Well, well, well, that is an interesting probability...I can see your brain is full of brillant ideas and observations, these last few weeks, Anthony...'' He suddenly faced him and slowly articulated, serious. ''Now please listen to me, and to my humble opinion'' he continued. ''You truly care about that case, and that is very honorable, young lad, but you really should be careful, especially after what you have just been through, including the others, and...''

''I'll sleep when I'm dead, Ducky'' Tony interrupted his speech, a bit dryly.

The ME then remained silent for a dozen of seconds before sharing his last words with the agent he truly cared about.

''I am sure you will find something with the team if you dig deeper in this men and woman's lives, Anthony'' he said, trying to comfort him somehow.

''I know.''

''Then why do I feel like this is not enough for you, young lad ?'' he insisted, watching his interlocutor leave.

 _''Ducky...''_ Tony tried speaking, rolling his eyes.

'' _Please_ , Anthony, before you go...I promise I will not ask for details, unless you feel like sharing them with me, but I would _really_ like to know more about what is happening inside that brain of yours.''

Tony sighed and made a new step forward, staring at the old ME.

''It's just...''

''Well, that is a good start'' Ducky commented, slightly smiling.

''It's just that this _isn't_ over, Duck. This isn't over at all and I know it's about to get worse.''

''Well, 'worse', I do not know, but this is, for sure, not over _yet_ , with Mark Pierce still being somewhere, and...''

'' _No_ , Duck, you don't get it. I...''

''You are not talking about the case, are you ?''

''Yes, Duck'' Tony added, feeling really nervous. ''This...that team...we're broken. _Somehow_. I couldn't explain it right now, but I _feel_ it, you know. We might have the three of them dead and Pierce potentially dead as well one day... _they succeeded._ ''

''Are you speaking about leaving the team, Anthony ?'' Ducky neutrally asked, trying not to show any bad reaction, although he could feel the tension in his gut for the first time since the beginning of that conversation.

''I don't know what I want, Ducky...all I want is to find...a _reason_ to feel better. To think about that team being great again, and feeling..., I don't know, maybe _great_ , myself.''

Ducky seemed ready to say something, but they both heard the slight sound on the other side of the room and noticed the automatic doors, opening. Ducky grinned and pointed a finger at the person who had just entered the space.

''Well, you have one reason coming over here, and maybe you could start with it...''

Tony suddenly jumped as Abby wrapped her arms around him, tightening him so much it was hard to breath.

'' _Tony..._! _Sorry_ I interrupted you, but I missed you _so_ much already, after our call, that I thought I might come over and tell you how much I love you !''

The male agent sadly, but sincerely smiled and finally wrapped his arms around her, hugging the woman back.

''I love you too, Abbs'' he said, still lost in his thoughts. ''I love you too.''


	28. No body, one name

The man started taking off his coat as he grabbed the badge of his building and pressed it against the small silver rectangle, carelessly watching the first door open, softly pushing it. He hung the clothing on his arm and quickly begun climbing the few stairs, reaching the third floor. He felt the keyring touch his fingers and then wrapped a few ones around it, looking for the main key... _What a day it have been, today._ Obviously not _that_ busy, compared to the previous ones, but still quite a tiring one. At least he would try to enjoy some meal with the girl of his life, and maybe a bit more once they are in the bedroom. He slightly smiled, thinking about it, and turned the key in the lock, pressing the handle.

''Hi babe, I'm back.''

 _''Kitchen, honey !''_

''Smells good'' he commented from afar, dropping his coat.

— — — — — — — — — —

 _(Five days later...)_

''Where the hell is Pierce ?'' Gibbs asked, entering the bullpen, coffee between hands.

 _''If that was the only question in need of an answer...''_

''So what don't you answer that one first, DiNozzo ?'' Jethro said, angry.

''Not a single clue, boss'' Tony finally explained, standing up. ''He obviously didn't open any bank account since he left prison, or at least not under his real name...I guess he's somewhere, hiding. We have a BOLO on him but our guy hasn't been seen anywhere in days.''

''Do not forget our man can be anyone he wants'' Ducky added, staring at the group of agents.

''You think he's still in contact with our mask maker ?''

''Maybe, maybe not. But according to our hypothesis, if this is not the first time our man is operating, he certainly has, well...some kind of stock, if I can say.''

Gibbs nodded and took a sip of his drink, intensely staring at the screen in front of him, wishing, somehow, that he might put a very important information in the middle of it with the simple help of his eyes. He finally sighed but didn't look away, still hopeful... A phone suddenly rang and Jethro turned back, wondering which desk it belonged to.

 _''Special Agent Ziva David, how can I help ? Yes...''_ Gibbs watched her nod with energy, half of his mind still focused on the screen... _''That is perfect, thank you very much.''_ The woman quickly wrote on her keypad and shared something on the rectangle almost instantly, Gibbs secretly smiling at the idea that his impatient mind was still getting some kind of power over devices.

''What is that, David ? You're looking for something bigger in DC ?'' Tony asked, grinning ironically.

''This is quite a lovely house, if you want my opinion...'' Ducky immediately commented.

''This is not in DC, Tony,'' Ziva retorted, ''but St. Michaels, Maryland. One of the former guys working for Movie Mountains just called me back. He says he does not know if our man ever came back to that house, but it seems like it was for some time his secondary residence. Maybe a parental inheritance ?''

''Our dear Gordon Parker wasn't at the first one, so what do we have to lose, checking that location ?''

''Probably nothing'' Ziva said.

''Except a very good crab restaurant to have some lunch at, if we don't go !'' Tony added, chuckling.

''You'll eat seafood specialties when pigs fly, DiNozzo !'' Gibbs suddenly warned him from behind, slapping the back of his head.

''Thanks, boss.''

 _''My pleasure...''_ Jethro boringly pronounced, walking to his desk. ''Now grab your gear and let's go. Ducky, double-check with Abby if there wasn't any prints we might have not noticed, and find out who that damn hair belongs to.''

''We will start this all again and check all the elements we already have, Jethro,'' the ME started promising, calling Abby's number, ''but concerning that hair, I am afraid our dear Abigail did not find out who was the owner of it.''

' _'True, Gibbs !''_ the voice brusquely resonated, Ducky moving the phone away from his ear. _''I put it in the system, but it seems like our girl didn't get arrested in her entire life, so she's not...''_

''I don't care if she isn't in the system ! I want you to find who she is !'' Gibbs warned and ordered from afar, finally entering the elevator with Tony and Ziva.

Ducky discreetly sighed and waved at the now caged trio, before taking a large look at the emptier bullpen. He then heard the heavy footsteps and noticed the platform shoes running in his direction.

''Am I too late again ?'' she asked, breathless. '' _Gosh_ , it's always like that, these days ! Every time I try to see them and to huge them before they go on a dangerous mission, they're already away ! _I should definitely work better on that telepathy thing..._ '' she mumbled, pressing fingers on both sides of her face.

Ducky gently chuckled, discreetly staring at the woman's feet. _Running with these things must be, for sure, an absolute nightmare._ He simply ended up raising a hand in her direction and invited her to follow him.

''Do not worry about this, Abigail, I am pretty sure we will find the answer to that other question. Mr Palmer will join the party, of course, but first why not looking for that favorite drink of yours, the one that will give you back the energy you need...what is its name, already... _Capoof_ ?

Abby couldn't help but laugh, and immediately pressed a tender hand on the ME's shoulder, smiling.

''Yeah, Ducky, I think you're perfectly right, let's find me some ' _Capoof_ '...''

— — — — — — — — — —

...The man pressed his fork in the meat and made the chewy piece come to his mouth, enjoying the taste of it. The woman poured some wine in his glass again and smiled at him.

''So ? I heard Patrick, Jordana and Bruce were dead ?'' she said, taking more mashed potatoes.

''Dead as tin kippers.''

''Charming.''

''Sorry. I'm just starving.''

The woman reflexively smiled and put some more green beans on his plate.

''Thanks, Rebecca.''

''So I guess it'll be more money for us ?'' the woman questioned the man, sounding amused. ''After all, I had to wear that ugly outfit and these incredibly uncomfortable heels for days, and even pretend to die...''

''Yeah'' he said, his mouth half full of food. ''These idiots weren't capable to survive to two NCIS Agents. Their bad.''

''Two ?''

''Agent Gibbs doesn't count, he was left alone with Agent McGee, remember ? Wasn't part of the fight.''

''The fake one, you mean ?''

''Yeah, but both were meant to die anyway. Bruce and the real one. Fake weapons. Remember ? Perfect opportunity for Mark, to be honest, he had a score to settle with him'' he added, chuckling.

The woman smiled and stood up from her seat, approaching the man's knees.

''So, too bad for Patrick and Jordana.''

''Yeah, too bad'' the man carelessly repeated, swallowing an umpteenth piece of juicy meat before kissing her.

Rebecca kissed him back and then looked at him in the eyes, in love.

''Where is Mark, by the way ?''

''Somewhere, hiding'' the man answered, stroking her back, his hand going down. ''He'll contact us when he's ready to do so.''

The woman slightly jumped as the male fingers started unbuttoning the top of her dress.

'' Are you behaving like this at work, you dirty man ?'' she questioning him, a bit kinky.

''No, honey, I am _irreproachable_...'' He smiled and pushed her a bit in order to kiss her neck. He ended up kissing her lips again, ready to carry her to their room, but finally cursed when the sound interrupted his precious moment. ''For God sake, can't they _ever_ leave me alone...!'' The woman noticed the name on the screen and tried pushing the phone away.

''Oh come on, you've finished your day, now you're mine...'' she almost complained, before bitting his earlobe.

'' _Just..._ just give me a minute, okay, darling ? I answer that damn call and then I switch it off.''

''You promise ?''

''I promise.''

The woman sighed but agreed in the end, stroking the man's neck, waiting for the end of the boring dialogue coming. The man smiled at her and took the call with desperation, really impatient to continue what they had just started. He took another piece of meat and pressed the item against his ear, masticating.

'' Rowanson, how can I help ?''


	29. Double mind

_(Days later...)_

''Alright, Agent McGee, you are free to go. Remember you have an appointment tomorrow at 10:30 am, Dr Wangen will be waiting for you in his office. Second floor, first door to the right'' the woman added.

''I know'' Tim reflexively smiled, signing the paper she was giving him.

''I guess I see you tomorrow then'' she said.

''See you tomorrow.''

''Lydia.''

 _Whatever._

''See you tomorrow, Lydia'' Tim corrected his thought.

The woman watched him leave before answering the phone that was starting to ring, looking happier than before. Tim dived both hands in his pockets and headed to the elevator, ready, and not so ready, to go. That was definitely weird. Weird enough to not be able to put words on the situation, but too complicated to even care minding.

''Hello Cynthia, I have to talk to Director Vance.''

' _'I'll connect you now.''_ Tim nodded at the invisible and shortly waited for his interlocutor to join the private conversation, unable to tell how he was feeling right now. But Vance'd ask. Speaking of which... _''Agent McGee, this is Director Vance.''_

 _Of course I know. Do you think I wanted to talk to Father Christmas ?_

''Good afternoon, Director. I was just calling to tell I was...''

 _Free. Finally._

''...out of the hospital.''

 _''Well, that is good to hear. I am waiting for you then in my office as soon as you're reaching NCIS.''_

 _Do you think that's the only thing I have to do ? I'd like my bed, and my place...a place free of people stupidly interrogating me, or constantly asking me how I feel... But I guess you only care about..._

''Sure. I'm on my way, Director. I'm joining you as soon as I can get a cab.''

 _''Let me send you one. I insist.''_

 _Do you think I'm dumb ? We're in DC, as soon as I'll wave three vehicles will stop and try taking my money._

''That's very nice of you, Director. Thank you.''

 _''You're very welcome.''_

Tim sighed and hung up the call, staring at the cars around. If only he could have taken any of them...but no, he had to wait for Leon Vance to send him one. _How stupid_. He rubbed his neck and uselessly took a look at the landscape, trying to keep himself busy. Weather was nice. He guessed. Yeah, weather was nice. He finally made a step backward, a woman entering a taxi...and waited.

''Timothy...Maguee ?''

 _Well, that was fast. By the way, it's 'McGee', you asshole._

''That's me'' he pronounced, emotionlessly smiling. I have to go to...''

''NCIS, I know.''

 _Like you thought you knew my name..._

Tim nodded and entered the car, discreetly sighing. The conversation that followed was short and distant but Tim kept his answers very polite...although he couldn't care less about this driver.

— — — — — — — — — —

''Agent McGee, please feel free to have a seat.''

 _'Agent McGee'. At least I'm not fired. Sounds like a pretty good beginning.  
_ If only he cared.

Tim reflexively nodded and picked one of them, sitting.

''Would you like me to call Gibbs ? They're on the way to NCIS.''

''No need, thanks, Director.''

''Agent DiNozzo, maybe...? Or David ?''

''How can I help ?'' Tim asked, going straight to the point.

Leon took a discreet look at him but didn't comment. Agent McGee was certainly not in the best shape ever, but after all, that was his right to not ask for a baby-sittor.

''I had very good comments from your shrink, after weeks spent seeing him.''

''I am very glad, Director'' Tim simply said.

''I heard you had been interrogated as well, and I wanted to tell you we were officially done with your reports. To explain the current situation in a few words, let's just say you are officially considered innocent.'' Tim nodded and remained silent, not crazily expressing any kind of happy feelings, only waiting for some kind of 'diagnostic'. ''Well, I know you might be waiting to be back to being an agent, which I am not completely against...'' Leon's voice continued its speech.

 _Not completely. Meaning 'completely'._

''Of course, if you'd like to take some time off until...'' Leon tried, knowing his words were useless.

''Actually I think that might be a very good idea. I'm sure I could use some time off.''

Leon froze for a second and stared at his agent, not believing his reaction.

 _''Really ?''_ he said, slightly hesitating. ''Well, I am sure you could use a few days, indeed, in order to rest and...''

''You'd do me a great favor.''

Leon Vance discreetly sighed and stared an additional time at the man in front of him, a bit suspicious.

''Are you still planing on seeing the people I recommended you, Agent McGee ?''

''Of course.''

' _'Well...''_ Leon stopped and uselessly looked at his desk for a dozen of seconds, silently overthinking. Then the following speech he had carefully prepared wouldn't be needed. The one sincerely advising his agent to rest a few days more, to stay out of it a little bit more, and... He reflexively nodded and gazed into Tim's eyes, serious. ''Anyone I should call, again ? I am sure I can...''

''All is good, Director.''

''Looks like it, indeed...'' Leon confirmed, running out of advices. ''Anything you'd like to add ?

 _I don't trust you. I don't trust any of you._

''Nothing, Director.''

The man ended up raising a hand in front of Tim, ready to shake his.

''Then all I can tell you is to keep taking care of you for the next few days, and to not forget your next appointment with Dr Wangen.''

''Tomorrow, 10:30 am'' Tim pronounced without even blinking, not looking unease at all.

''Perfect'' Leon said and smiled, still shaking that opposite hand. ''Have a nice afternoon and a great evening.''

''You too.''

— — — — — — — — — —

...Tim walked past the men in charge of his protection and entered his apartment, dropping the key on the piece of furniture near the door, thinking about nothing. His phone rang almost instantly and he took a look at it. _Gibbs._

''McGee.''

 _''Out of the hospital, McGee ?''_

 _No, I'm at the fun fair, you idiot._

''Yep.''

 _''Welcome back. In need of a visitor, Tim ?''_

 _Oh, you mean like 'you' ?_

''I'm okay, boss. Gonna write a bit and go to bed. Nothing too exciting'' he said, slightly chuckling.

 _''Okay.''_

''See you later, boss.''

 _''See you later, McGee.''_

Tim hung up the shortest call ever, heading to the kitchen, this time, but the phone rang again a second later, revealing a new name.

''I guess I must be very famous today'' he commented right away, smiling.

 _''I guess I'm not that needed anymore''_ the voice retorted immediately, the man smiling as well.

''The consequence of still being alive, I bet.''

 _''Poor you.''_

''So ? How is it to be back to your old team ?'' Tim asked.

 _''Good, actually. We're still working on your case, but let's say I'm not directly into the action anymore.''_

''Don't worry, there still is and 'll be a lot of bad guys to catch.''

 _''Sure, McGee. And that'll never stop. Well, now that you're back, do you fancy a drink, one of these days ?''_

''Sure. What about Friday ?''

 _''Friday it is, then...''_

''Perfect. See you then, Rowanson. And thanks for calling.''

 _''You're welcome. See you there, McGee.''_

''Bye.''


	30. Team of strangers

_Note to my readers : Dear everyone, please accept my apologies for my delayed posts. December has been an easier period to share my previous chapters with you, but then a lot of things happened in my Parisian life, why there is an obvious lack of regularity. I promise I'll try doing better, and in the meantime, let me thank you so much for all your kind, supportive and constructive likes, reactions and comments. It's a real pleasure to be back on that website with you guys. Happy new year.  
_Now back to the story. _  
_ _— — — — — — — — — —_

 _(Friday, 5:35pm)_

''That's official, Gibbs ! Mark Pierce can perfectly be you...physically speaking'' Ziva added.

''Physically speaking ?'' Jethro asked, furrowing both eyebrows.

''Same height, for sure'' the woman continued. ''Well, maybe a few kilos less, according to the pictures we...'' Gibbs drank a sip of his afternoon coffee and seriously stared at her. ''...because he's been to prison ! He certainly didn't eat a lot there, and...but I'm sure...''

 _''You're embarrassing yourself, David...''_ Tony mumbled from behind his desk, eyes on her.

''Thank you, Tony...'' she complained, teeth clenched. ''You are in perfect shape for you age, Gibbs...'' the female agent finally pronounced before turning back, swallowing her pride.

Tony slapped his forehead with the help of his own palm, deeply exhaling.

''For my age, Ziva ?'' Jethro questioned her, approaching again.

''Yes, Gibbs, I think you are very, hmm...'' The phone suddenly rang at her colleague's desk, but she ran in its direction, taking the call before him.

 _''Hey !''_ Tony exclaimed, trying to push her away.

''Sorry, Gibbs, I really have to, uh...Special Agent Ziva David, how can I help ?''

Jethro rolled his eyes, the other male agent imitating him.

''So where is McGee ?'' Tony asked and stood up, taking advantage of the woman's current conversation. ''Still considered guilty ?''

''No'' Gibbs neutrally answered, taking another sip.

''Wait, what do you mean by 'no' ?'' he continued questioning, coming closer.

Gibbs put his cup on his desk and gazed into his agent's eyes.

''I said 'no', McGee isn't treated like a suspect anymore.''

''Well, then that's... _that's great !_ '' Tony suddenly exclaimed, not believing his interlocutor's words. ''Then...why isn't he here with us again ? Did Vance ask him to take some additional time off, or...''

''He asked for some more.''

''Who ?''

''McGee.''

'' _Really...?_ I mean, that's good.''

Tony obviously waited for immediate details after his first reaction but they both heard Ziva hang up the call, Gibbs now walking in her direction.

''Anything new, Ziva ?'' The woman instantly nodded but seemed to hesitate before speaking. Gibbs furrowed an eyebrow with suspicion, already feeling too impatient. _''Well ?''_

''Gibbs, the FBI just called. They're on their way to...''

 _''FBI ?''_

''What the hell are you talking about, David ?'' Tony added.

''And why did they call you instead of me ?'' Jethro continued.

''Ouch, that was rude...'' Tony reacted, pressing a hand on his chest.

 _''Why ?''_ Gibbs repeated, angry.

''Well, you had some troubles earlier with that phone, remember...?'' Ziva answered hesitantly, pointing a finger at the broken item on his desk.

''And your personal one is in my yesterday's coffee cup'' Tony whispered, squinting his eyes.

 _''So ?''_ Jethro asked louder, raising both arms in the air. ''What does the FBI have to say about it !''

Ziva got ready to explain the previous conversation she just had but both silver doors suddenly opened on the other side of the elevator, revealing a group of people, including a smiling member.

 _''Fornell''_ Gibbs lowly pronounced, exhaling deeply.

''Jethro'' the FBI agent reacted, still smiling. ''They told you about my friendly visit ?''

''What are you doing here, Fornell ?''

''You know, passing time on a sunny afternoon...we should go for lunch together, one of these days.''

''This is _my_ case, not yours.''

"Well, seems like we're gonna have to work in pairs on this one. Let's just hope it won't last too long.''

''Explain yourself'' Gibbs neutrally said, raising his chin.

Fornell took a quick look at the bullpen, making eye contact with Tony and Ziva.

''Agent Matt Hurrel went to the National Capital Bank of Washington two days ago, to withdraw a tidy sum. He's been working with us for years, but his family is luckier about money'' he said, chuckling.

''So what, Tobias ? You're coming over to NCIS to tell me one of your rich agents grabbed some cash from the ATM ?''

 _''No''_ the FBI agent started speaking seriously again, as if talking to a child. ''I'm here because _real_ Agent Matt Hurrel is on a vacation with his wife in the Canary Islands. _Happy ?_ So now this is a mutual case, Jethro,'' Tobias continued straight away, ''and Director Vance is waiting for us upstairs.''

''It can be anyone'' Gibbs retorted as if to save time, sighing.

''Not a chance...he's got your eyes'' Fornell commented and chuckled, winking. ''Let's go now, you old man.''

 _''Call me again 'you old man' and I'll...''_

 _''You know, you're not that bad for your age...''_

 _''Really ? I was about to tell you the same...''_

Tony and Ziva briefly smiled as they watched them leave and keep fighting verbally, as usual, still getting a bad feeling about this whole situation, though. Tony sat on a corner of his desk and rubbed his neck, tired.

''This case has been going on for too long...'' he said.

''So what ? We are not in one of your stupid movies, DiNozzo. We cannot solve a crime in five minutes.''

Tony took a despising look at her but didn't say a thing, overthinking. If only there was some miracle, for once, someone or something that would erase that lot of memories, actions, and weeks of researches... That case was definitely lasting too long, but at least, if they'd ever get over it, they'd truly get something to be proud of.  
He took a discreet look at Tim's empty desk from his spot, curious. McGee keeping things for himself, in any kind of situation, was extremely normal. But 'normal McGee' would have come to work anyway, even if that bothered him to the highest level, even if that was making him feel sad, or tired, even... _Yes_ , 'normal McGee' would have come to work as soon as he was free from any outside responsibilities, _no matter what._

''By the way...'' the female voice finally continued, interrupting his thoughts. ''It's been a while since you haven't been sharing any movie quote.''

''And that bothers you, David ?'' Tony instantly asked her with no real emotion, only leaving his sitting position for somewhere else.

Ziva sighed and took a look at the bullpen before joining her personal work area. She sat down and logged in again, accessing the fake lab's evidence pictures... They hadn't really talked about it since they had found it...they had been there later, of course, but they had actually been more caring about McGee and these stupid clones after the attack, and it had been easier to let another team work on it. _But now the FBI was part of it, too ?_ She sighed and clicked on the first picture, decided. There was no harm in double checking something while the two grumpy men were debating upstairs...she scrolled down the page and restarted working, desperately hopeful.

— — — — — — — — — —

''Anything new, Abby ?''

 _''Ziva ! How are you !''_ the woman asked, worried.

''I am alright, thank you.''

''So ? Are Gibbs and Fornell fighting ? Any blood in Director Vance's office yet ?''

''If not I am sure it won't be long.''

They both looked at each other and chuckled.

''Anything new about that hair ?''

''Nope. I prayed for her to be arrested in the meantime, therefore her name would appear in the system, but I guess the spirits of the night haven't heard me yet...! That _kills_ me, Ziva ! This is certainly the hair of that bitch pretending to be me, who tortured McGee, and I can't even...''

''Alright, Abby, alright... Maybe you should slow down with caffeine for now'' Ziva advised, smiling.

''Sorry. What about you ? Anything new ?''

''Not at all...I tried taking a new fresh look at the pictures of the lab they rebuilt when you were prisoner with McGee, but I couldn't find anything interesting. Did you actually see each other during that time ?'' Ziva asked, carelessly stroking the piece of furniture in front of her, her mind half flying away from here.

''No, I guess they kept me until McGee thought he had killed the real me. If I was out before, and that, for some reason, he might have heard of me, maybe...''

''...he would have known you weren't the real one.''

''Gosh, it's giving me a headache...''

''Well, I guess he still felt lost with all these doubles around anyway.'' Abby nodded and deeply exhaled, disappointed, if not completely hopeless, while Ziva dived both hands in her pockets, walking. ''Well, I guess I'm gonna see if they need me upstairs. I _hate_ feeling like I have nothing to do'' she begun speaking again, quickly looking at a few items around.

''Anything wrong ?'' Abby asked, selecting a new playlist.

''Where...no, it's nothing.''

''Oh come on, tell me ! I've been working all day for no results, I cannot refuse a little conversation with some human being. Ducky is adorable, _really_ , but let's say he isn't the perfect, well...definition of a girl.''

''Am I ?'' Ziva asked, smiling. ''It's nothing, really'' she continued. ''I was just wondering where the little...'guy' was. You know, the one I saw on that pile of books. Green and...red, I think.''

 _''Oh !''_ Abby said, chuckling. ''It's Mr Teacup ! Someone gave it to me after...'' she continued the story, opening a little closet, nearby.

''He had tattoos ?'' Ziva asked, smiling.

'' _A lot..._ okay, here it is ! Look how cute that thing is.''

Ziva grabbed the little sculpture between fingers and took a look at it, amused.

''You always put it in here ?''

''Yeah'' the other woman answered, walking back to her desk, typing. ''It's very nice, but it doesn't really fit with the whole place's style.''

Ziva reflexively nodded and stared another time at the item, making it roll between fingers, some new strange feeling in her gut. They always thought they had hacked their cameras in order to copy the place, then why...

''I can see the wheels turn inside your brain, Ziva ! Please tell me what it is !'' Abby exclaimed, suddenly excited. ''Did Mr Teacup inspired you for the case ?''

''Actually...it might '' Ziva instantly answered, showing the little man to her owner. ''I'm coming back'' she said before leaving in a hurry.

 _''Wait, where are you going ? Did we solve the case...? Yes ? No ?''_ the other woman asked from her lab, before nervously sucking the straw of her favorite drink again.

— — — — — — — — — —

 _''Hey, Ziva, where...''_ Tony started asking, watching the woman run.

''Move that ass of yours, Tony !'' the woman simply commented, breathless, climbing the stairs leading to Leon Vance's office.

She walked past Cynthia without a word and pressed her hand around the silver handle, entering what seemed to be a childish, although private adults' conversation.

''Agent David'' Leon Vance quickly pronounced, secretly glad of her unconventional intervention. ''Some fresh words might be helping our current situation.''

''What are you doing here, Ziva ?'' Gibbs finally asked, not minding Tobias anymore.

''I think I have something. Although I am not very sure.''

''Mr Teacup ?'' Jethro curiously asked, watching the small sculpture his agent was showing them.

''I beg your pardon...?'' Vance questioned the NCIS duet in front of him, bewildered.

Ziva immediately reexplained the situation the shortest way possible, everyone carefully listening to her.

''...and that is why I think our suspect must have known perfectly well Abby's lab. He might have tried recreating it, or simply helped doing so, I do not know, but then he has made a mistake anyway. He cared about a hidden detail and put it somewhere, problem is that it wasn't supposed to be in the copy they made at that location. That thing was found on a pile of books while Abby was keeping it inside a closet. Only someone who would once have opened it might...''

 _''Rowanson''_ Gibbs immediately articulated, leaving Leon's office.

Vance reflexively grabbed his phone while Fornell took a quick look at the item, following Jethro. Ziva reflexively nodded and imitated him, walking past Cynthia for the second time.

''Boyfriend's present ?'' Tobias asked her, heading to the stairs with her. ''Someone must have been very tattooed.''

 _''Very''_ the female agent confirmed and briefly smiled, before turning serious again.


	31. Two friends and a pub

''Everyone, grab your gear !'' Gibbs ordered as soon as he reached the lower floor, meeting Tony on his way.

''You heard the man'' Fornell confirmed, looking at his own agents.

''What are you doing, DiNozzo !'' Jethro asked, visibly impatient.

''Uh, joining you...upstairs ?'' Tony dared saying, pointing a finger at the upper floor.

''Too late, Tony ! Let's go !'' his interlocutor angrily said, slapping the back of his head.

''Got it, boss.''

Gibbs caught Fornell's phone from his pocket, not minding his swear word in return, and dialed a number immediately, already heading to his desk.

''Abby,'' he said instantly, taking his badge and gun from the drawer with one hand, walking to the elevator, ''I need Rowanson's address.''

 _''What ? Wait, you mean the Rowanson that replaced me while...''_

'' _Yes_ , Abby.''

 _''But why on earth would you need me to...''_

''Faster, Abby !''

 _''Okay, okay ! Give me...give me just a second. Al...right, that's it. I just sent it to you GPS, but w...''_

Jethro hung up the call and watched both silver doors close in front of the now crowded cage, feeling electricity in his arms. He pressed the button and exhaled deeply, carelessly noticing Fornell take back his phone and answer it. He could hear that soft humming coming from the large machine they were all standing in, that heavy silence making him very nervous...that thing was definitely going too _slow_.

''So what are the news from Director Vance ?'' Ziva dared asking. ''What did they tell him on the phone ?''

''Rowanson isn't at work anymore. He left about an hour ago'' Tobias answered.

''And we were directly heading outside, without knowing if he'd still be in the building ?''

''Guilty people are never in the building when we look for them'' Tobias reacted, grinning.

''Does he even know we are ?''

''Some things cannot always be explained, Agent David...''

''In Mossad we think everything can be explained, Agent Fornell...with the good 'motivation'''.

Tony reflexively nodded as he listened to Ziva and Fornell's quite useless words, eyes discreetly staring at Gibbs. _Someone was definitely turning mad in that elevator..._ actually, Gibbs was usually the most terrifying when he wasn't speaking at all.

''It's okay, boss'' he ended up saying. ''As far as we know, no one at NCIS seems to have reported any absence within the last few weeks. It's Friday night, Rowanson is probably just at home, or maybe in some bar, or nightclub...we'll catch him.''

Jethro couldn't help but softly chuckle as he heard the comment, finally slowly turning back, facing his agent. He was now looking angrier than before, Tony could tell.

''Is that supposed to make me feel better, DiNozzo ?''

''I don't know, but...''

''We're talking about someone who was part of a plan that almost killed us all, I don't care if this guy is home, watching football, all I know is that every minute we lose is a chance for him to maybe change his mind and decide running away !''

 _''Alright, alright, gentlemen''_ Fornell interrupted the duet, including his own conversation, feeling as well that this silver rectangle was becoming too small for such a verbal fight between them all. Indeed, if he was already physically stuck between his own agents, the vision of Gibbs and Tony debating, with Ziva in the middle, sharing Israelian techniques to get some tongues wagging, was annoying him to the fullest. ''Why don't you just wait a few more seconds for that thing to completely go down before deciding killing each other, then we'll nicely enter our own cars and I'll leave you to it, uh ?''

''Works for me'' Tony immediately retorted, sighing, Gibbs briefly rolling his eyes in return.

Ziva quickly took a look at him but didn't say a thing, sadly thinking...if she wasn't sure of the exact words to use in order to express herself, she could have sworn it had been like that for weeks. Yes, every time Tony was making a step forward, he seemed to make as well two steps back. She would have given anything right now to be over with that case, and they were obviously not that far from doing so anymore, but she couldn't help wondering...once this case would be truly over, if it'd ever be one day, would Tony still be part of the team ?

''Earth to Ziva, we're about to kill the beast.''

 _''What ?''_ she immediately asked, trying to analyze his words.

'' _Rowanson_ ? Does that ring a bell to you ?''

''Oh, sure'' she instantly commented, taking a look at the now empty elevator before leaving it.

''You were lost in your thoughts, David ?'' Tony asked. ''Is something bothering you ?''

''Not at all'' she coldly retorted.

''Oh come on, don't play the tough girl and assume'' the male agent added, smiling.

Ziva briefly smiled back at him and headed to the car in his company, a bit hurt to have been found vulnerable for a second. She hurried in Jethro's direction, secretly thinking again. Yes, Tony might have been smiling and in better terms with Gibbs recently, she could still see and feel the obvious tension existing between them, tension she wasn't sure he was able to handle any longer.

— — — — — — — — — —

 _(8:12pm)_

''Hey man, how is life without any danger ? Still good ?''

''Not that boring,'' Tim answered, chuckling, ''although maybe a bit too quiet for me, I must admit, but I'm sure you already know that.''

''I'm sure it is. And yes, I was just checking if you had changed your mind since the beginning of your extra days-off.''

Tim quickly laughed and raised a hand in the air, grabbing the large door's handle, inviting the man to come inside first. Place wasn't very crowded for a Friday night, but maybe it was just a little too early for that.

''So ? Finley ? I checked before meeting you here, isn't it a bit far from your place ?'' Tim questioned him, smiling at the waitress approaching, before sitting.

''Wanted to try something different for once'' Rowanson then simply explained, looking at the menu the woman was giving to the both of them. ''I'm not very into crowded places.''

''No harm in being a bit reserved.''

''Thanks for understanding.''

Tim simply nodded and took a look at the menu as well, his eyes delightfully staring at the burgers for a minute. He then finally watched Rowanson raise a hand in another waitress' direction and got ready to order.

''What can I do for you, gentlemen ?''

''Hello'' Tim said, smiling. ''I'll try that veggie burger and coke, please. Are you serving them with fries ?''

''Of course.''

''Come on, McGee, no beer ? We're in an Irish pub, for God sake.'' He took an insistent look at Tim before looking back at the menu. ''Okay, let's just try the beer of the week. And some lamb stew for me. Thanks. _Sorry_ ,'' he ended up saying as soon as the woman left, ''I know you're not really into drinking. But burger and fries ?''

''Hospital food was awful, I promised myself I would order one next time I'd enter a place like this one.''

''Sounds quite logical.''

Tim observed the space around with an umpteenth smile, happy to have the opportunity to discover such a lovely location, although it was definitely _not_ very crowded. He hated to be in places so full that you couldn't hear yourself speak, but he wasn't complaining about some atmosphere, either.

''You'll tell me about the beer'' he finally said when both drinks arrived at their table. ''They gave me some medication to...'deal with the situation', let's say. I still have to take these pills for a little while.''

''Not very good when mixed with alcohol'' Rowanson guessed.

''Not very good, indeed.''

''Okay. Well, beer is delicious'' the man ended up saying, taking a few sips of his pint.


	32. Cold fries

Tony violently opened the door in front of him, his leg and foot aching a bit as he used such a movement, and the whole group of FBI and NCIS agents entered the place all at once, gun raised.

 _''NCIS !''_ Gibbs shouted first, suspiciously accessing the kitchen on his left.

 _''FBI !''_ Fornell added, walking in the bedroom's direction on the right, as if to show they were here, too.

 _''Clear !''_ Tony and Ziva pronounced and confirmed from afar, not noticing anyone on their way, either.

Apartment wasn't that big. So someone was really missing. Gibbs heavily exhaled, visibly disappointed, if not _angry_ , already.

''Where is he !'' he groaned, mostly cursing himself.

''Not here, apparently. So what do we do next, boss ?'' Tony questioned him.

''Call him. Now.''

''And what do I say if he's...okay.''

The male agent immediately grabbed his phone and dialed the number that was given to him, listening to that same, usual basic sound people could hear while waiting for an answer. He suddenly noticed Gibbs pointing his gun again, heading to the bedroom.

''I've already checked, Jethro'' Fornell told him.

Gibbs simply gave him a look that certainly meant 'I know' and slowly kept walking, looking for the item. That was just a normal cellphone sound...so why was he even feeling nervous ? He finally grabbed it between fingers and stared at it, hopeless.

''Never be unreachable, uh'' Ziva said as she approached, smiling.

''I guess Rowanson has his own rules to follow'' Gibbs calmly commented, looking at her.

— — — — — — — — — —

''...so the guy comes over and say 'hey, do you know who I am ? My father was Mr-I-don't-remember-who, well-known cousin of a very famous actor, who played in some movie with racing cars...' and so I pretend to be impressed - because I have to ! - but clearly at that very moment, all I want is to run away and hide under my blanket with my girl, but diner just started in that so fancy restaurant, and it's a truly important one, so I definitely can't escape ! Then the woman next to him gives me a discreet look, and God...I can't read on people's lips, but I'm pretty sure she tried to articulate 'I'm sorry about my husband'.'' Both Rowanson and McGee started laughing, Tim enjoying the anecdote. The man in front of him obviously had drank a little too much, but it was nothing to really worry about. Days could be pretty rough at NCIS, sometimes, so no surprise in seeing someone trying to enjoy some free time when he had a chance to. ''Aaah, sorry...I know I talk too much, and I surely look a bit different...''

''That's true'' Tim confirmed, smiling. ''I'm used to see you a bit calmer, and not that talkative...first real night out since ?'' he finally asked.

''Touché !'' the man funnily reacted, laughing again. ''Well...it was quite a very long time ago, indeed. Especially with everything that...you know'' he quickly ended his sentence, drinking another sip of beer. ''It's true that I'm quite living in my word once I start working in my lab. I'm sure you guys didn't talk to me, nor see me a lot when I was working at yours. But that's how I am, silent and focused on things...and a bit drunk when it comes to relaxing'' he added, chuckling.

''Probably why we don't know a lot about you. But I understand you. Actually, I'm quite the same'' Tim commented and explained, chuckling back.

— — — — — — — — — —

''Where can he be ?''

''I don't know, DiNozzo. But I know that we can't take a look at DC in one night.''

''Do you think he'd do something dangerous ?''

''Why today ? We can't know for sure'' Fornell said.

''And why that ?'' Ziva asked.

''He let his phone in his bedroom, alright. But he didn't switch it off, nor throw or hide it anywhere. That's maybe just a detail, but we'd better wait to see him at work tomorrow rather than calling all his friends and relatives that might find it suspicious and warn him.''

''Sounds quite logical'' Gibbs simply said, almost sorry about his hidden compliment.

''I'm _astonished_ '' Tobias immediately commented, forcing a smile. " _Thanks_ , Jethro'' he continued ironically, putting a palm on his own chest.

''Uh...is it me or are you all out of your minds ? Did you forget the fact that we have just broken that door ? No way he's not gonna notice that'' Tony pronounced, almost shocked.

''Okay, he'll be suspicious. But not enough to run away.''

''Enlighten us, Tobias, instead of bragging like an idiot'' Jethro neutrally ordered and raised his chin, turning impatient.

''Yeah, you'd better hurry up, our man could be back in a minute.''

Fornell pointed a finger in their direction and immediately grabbed his phone, calling someone. Gibbs then simply raised both arms in the air, waiting for informations. _God, he hated waiting._

''So ?'' Ziva finally asked, frustrated.

Tobias hung up and approached them again, smiling.

''I have someone who owed me a favor, but still, it's gonna cost quite a lot to cover up that mess.''

''Let's go, then'' Gibbs immediately agreed.

''You sure about that ? I'm not certain Vance is gonna love that'' the second old agent asked his NCIS alter ego, noticing Gibbs' confident nod. ''Okay, Agent David, put on your most beautiful smile and follow me. Agent DiNozzo : I'll need your leg again...or anything that might help.''

Tony instantly rolled his eyes and followed the numerous FBI and NCIS agents, feeling desperate.

''So what ? We were about to catch him and put him in jail, and now we're gonna pretend we were never here, including the fact that it'll certainly make him feel suspicious anyway ?''

''You have another idea, Tony ?'' Jethro confronted him for a second, groaning.

''Boss, he just asked Ziva to smile, that plan _has_ to be a disaster.''

— — — — — — — — — —

''...and what about you, McGee ? Any great anecdote to share ?''

''Hmm, well...not that much, actually. Just trying to forget some elements of my previous life, right now, nothing spectacular.''

''And ? Is it working ?''

''Not that much, but let's say I'm improving'' Tim added, smiling.

''Step by step, like they say.'' Rowanson kept eating like a man under starvation but tried controlling himself a bit after noticing his manners. He definitely looked different, acting like that. _He'd better be careful._ ''Come on, are the burger and fries that awful ?'' he questioned his friend and chuckled, trying a lighter conversation's subject.

''No, not at all,'' Tim almost apologized, ''they're quite good, actually. I just think I ate too fast for someone who missed a burger that much. I'll finish them later.''

Rowanson nodded and took another sip of his beer, ready to order a new one. He then took a serious glance at McGee, almost looking sincere.

 _''What ?''_ Tim questioned him in the end, strangely smiling.

''Okay, okay, McGee'' Rowanson said after some time, forgetting his beer and food for a minute. ''I do not want to be that kind of guy with a melting heart, but now that we're here...I think there is something I should tell you anyway. I promise I won't be long'' he immediately added, noticing Tim's visible embarrassment.

''I'm listening then, Marshmallow Man.''

— — — — — — — — — —

''Okay, it's done, good'' Tony said once in the car, ironically. ''Now do you really think he'll come to work tomorrow ? Won't he ask for some time off while wanting speaking to the police ?''

''Not if nothing disappeared from his place. He'll just have to clean up a bit.''

 _''Wouldn't hurt him...''_ Ziva commented from the backseat.

''And what proofs do we have to make him work, then ?'' Tony continued, now feeling a impatient. ''I know there is no official 'weekend time' at NCIS, but if there is nothing to take a closer look at, no risk he'll have to come back to his lab in the morning.

''Abby is working at her lab'' Jethro said.

''Yeah, but Abby is obsessed with the case and would spend her entire life at her lab in order to solve it, even if there is nothing to take a closer look at for the moment.''

 _''Then you have one night to find something to make him come back to work for''_ Fornell's voice said, coming from the phone.

'' _Wait_ , was he listening to us the _whole_ time ?''

 _''Yes, DiNozzo''_ Gibbs and Tobias said all at once.

Gibbs ended up hanging up the call after some time, driving, Tony's eyes still on him.

''I think we should tell McGee. I'm gonna come over to his place and talk to him.''

''No need, DiNozzo.''

''No need ? Are you serious, boss ?''

' _'Tony...''_ Ziva tried warning him from behind.

''Boss, we _have_ to tell him, right ?'' Tony continued, not minding Ziva's voice.

''He asked to be off for some additional days, DiNozzo. He doesn't need to kn...''

The male agent next to him revealed wide open eyes, finding the words he had just heard incredible to believe.

''To 'know it for now', that's what you meant ? I don't care if he's off, boss. We are talking about some... _crazy_ plan we made up in five minutes, right after trying arresting Rowanson at his place... Boss,'' he continued, beginning moving arms in the air, inside the vehicle, ''if Rowanson really _was_ part of it, then we _have_ to tell McGee now, not tomorrow, not in one week, but _now_ !''

Gibbs suddenly stopped the car, both Tony and Ziva then feeling their back violently hit their seat.

''You just said it. We don't know for sure if he was part of it.''

''Oh don't play with words, boss. If we were about to arrest him, then 'we know'.''

''Tim needs to rest until he is ready to come back. He'll know when he has to know.''

 _''Are you serious...''_ Tony tried asking, although the energy of his words couldn't fully come out of his throat.

 _Okay, he needed fresh air._ He opened the door and suddenly started leaving, bewildered.

''Where the hell are you going ?''

''I'll go and see McGee at his place, or maybe call him. But at least I'll _do_ something'' he added, taking an additional look at Ziva. ''Is that day over now, boss,'' he finally questioned Gibbs directly, ''or do we have another five-minute break-in to prepare with Fornell's team ? That's what I thought. Give me a call if we have fake proofs to work on tomorrow.''

He finally slammed the door with no looking back, already regretting his words, knowing they were the simple result of a deep feeling of unfairness for his friend...if not for himself. They had used and thought of numerous set-ups throughout his years at NCIS, and he was usually okay with them, but today was too much. _Too much of everything._ Too many lies. Too many complications. Too many rancor about so many things...  
He kept walking for maybe five minutes before calling a taxi, too angry at the world and at himself to simply sit inside a vehicle for now.

— — — — — — — — — —

''Well...I know we've joked a bit about this, of course...that's how we do between guys. But, uh...I just wanted to tell you...seriously, if not fully soberly, that, uh...I was really sorry for what happened to you. I'm glad you're alright, man.''

''Thank you'' Tim almost immediately answered, feeling his eyes turn slightly wet. _Hopefully no one would notice._ ''I appreciate it.''

''Good. Good...'' Rowans repeated, visibly embarrassed, too. ''Okay,'' he continued, trying to get rid of the emotion,''new topic, uh ? What do you think ? Now that we spoke a lot about my life, and that...I made a terrible tearful show of myself... _you turn_.''

'' _My_ turn ? Not sure it'd be _that_ interesting.''

''I'm sure it is !'' Rowans confirmed, drinking again. ''Won't you finish your food ? It's gonna be cold. A dessert, maybe ?'' Tim smiled and grabbed a fry between fingers, checking. _Yes, they were definitely cold._ ''So ? What interesting thing can you tell me about yourself, tonight ?''

The NCIS agent seemed to hesitate for a second before diving a hand in his coat's pocket. Then he suddenly stood up, pointing a gun in front of him. Rowanson instantly coughed, beer and meat painfully getting stuck inside his throat, and raised both his palms in the air.

''Tim, _hey..._ what's the hell, man ?!''

The agent could hear people start to scream behind his back, his weapon still targeting the man in front of him.

''Everyone, please do not be afraid, I am Special Agent Tim McGee, from NCIS. Please leave the area, I won't do you any bad'' he neutrally continued, focused on his task. ''What, Rowanson ?'' he finally continued, once they were left alone. ''Don't look disappointed, actually I think you're right.''

''Right ? But right about...what ?'' his interlocutor dared asking after some time.

Tim didn't look away from his new victim and slowly sat down again, feeling better now that some silence was back in that pub.

''I think I wouldn't say no to some dessert.''


	33. Instincts

''Okay come on, McGee...you've...'' the man tried speaking slowly, in order to calm him down. ''You've just gotten your movie moment and your punchline, so now...now why don't we talk to each other and make a plan to work things out together, uh ?''

''A _plan_ ?'' Tim questioned him with emotionless eyes. ''You helped people torture me and target my team and myself for weeks, and now you want us to calmly talk to each other ? Didn't know you could be that funny, Rowanson.''

''I can be sometimes...'' he lowly pronounced, groaning, hands still half in the air.

 _''Why ?''_ Tim asked right away, seriouser than ever.

''Why what, Timmy ?''

''Why did you ever get part of this ?''

Rowanson didn't answer yet and deeply stared at the man in front of him, the one that used to be his friend, if only by pretending at the very end...they were definitely both good at doing so. He suddenly noticed something different in Tim's facial expression. The NCIS agent clearly looked soulless at that very moment...although it was clear there was nothing else. Not even a trace of any logical reason for acting that way. _Was McGee just driven by some delirious idea ?_

''You don't have any proof against me, do you, McGee ?'' Tim slowly raised his arms a little bit more, his gun ready to share any bullet, any moment. ''That's what I thought...'' the man continued, lowering his hands.

Tim instantly pulled the trigger and watched the bullet make its damage.

''My boss calls it a 'gut feeling''' McGee finally explained, still looking cold and confident. ''I've never been so sure to be right, and trust me : if I feel so right about something and hadn't found a thing about you, then my team has already _found_ something.''

 _''And how can you be sure about that...''_ Rowanson almost whispered after jumping on his seat, watching the broken window by his side, still not really showing any viable proof of guiltiness.

Tim briefly sighed and slowly approached his new victim, now staring at him closely.

''Because you're a coward, Rowanson, and cowards always end up making mistakes.''

'' _Really_ , McGee'' the man ironically commented, knowing there'd be some more to it.

''Professionals don't pretend to be someone else. They get paid, they kill, or whatever they do, and they leave, they don't turn into someone else as soon as they get home. _You_ , Rowanson, simply became part of some awful project and went home as if nothing had ever happened, weeks after weeks, working for most of the time in _our_ lab while you were helping others making our lives miserable.''

''I do not care about your 'gut feeling', McGee, I know I didn't do a single thing of...''

The man felt his heart stop for an eternal handful of seconds, any presence of alcohol that might have previously flown in his body now disappearing for ever from it, letting him face reality to its fullest...he nervously watched Tim press the gun barrel against his knee, terrifyingly confident. _That wasn't the Tim he had known._ They had created a monster.

''Alright... Then if, like you just told me a few times, you hadn't been part at all of that horrible plan against NCIS, then I guess you won't have any secret to share before I shoot a bullet in your leg, am I right, Rowanson ? In fact, according to your previous words, nothing else you'll say about yourself might be able to keep you from losing your walking ability, am I right ?'' he repeated.

Rowanson remained silent for another dozen of seconds, finally watching Tim's finger on the trigger.

''Okay, okay, McGee...I...they contacted me, alright ? But...but it was years ago, at first'' he continued, feeling nervouser than ever. ''They told me I should be prepared to have to play like some...double agent, so I tried acting a bit different throughout the months. It wasn't that difficult, to be honest, as I was naturally discreet at work, but...but they kept postponing in the end, you know...I was still receiving some money, so I thought they might be ready at some point...but in the end it wasn't very clear'' he added, almost breathless. Pierce was still in jail at that time, but I was contacted anyway by some of his, hmm, 'colleagues', and they kept telling me to be prepared. I guess they were just looking for the good place and for Pierce to be out of jail, to... These kind of things takes time, you know...'' he dared saying, Tim's eyes still on him.

''That wasn't their first time, was it ?''

''No, but...but I swear that's the only thing I've ever been part of, I...''

The NCIS agent's gun barrel got pressed against the leg again.

''I _swear_ , Tim ! _God_ ,'' he almost shouted this time, ''if you decide to pull that trigger, I _swear_ I'll have told you the truth about it. Again, that's the _only_ time I've ever been part of it. No previous experiences with these guys, I promise !''

''Why say yes, Rowanson ?''

''Money. I know, classic, right ? Their...God, their point was to make another great shot, and to make you guys suffer, after what Pierce had been through because of your gothic woman with ponytails...''

''Her name is Abby.''

''Abby, right. _Abby_. But man...I swear all I wanted was money. Oh God,'' he finally added, almost shaking, ''they're gonna kill me, now.''

''Not if I kill you first.''

Tim slowly moved away from his victim, gun still pointed at him, breathing heavily. As far as he remembered, he hadn't ever gotten such a strong gut feeling in his entire life...and the most surprising fact was that he had been completely right about it. It was as if these months, having these people constantly pushing him to his extreme limits, had make him able to now know things for sure, if not always for the best. He had to admit some little voice in his head had often thought Gibbs was regularly exaggerating, pretending to know things before everybody...but maybe he had been, himself, stupid not to realize it before.  
 _Now he had the power._ Now he was changed and he was perfectly aware of it, and he could do something in order to make justice... Tim suddenly felt a bit more nervous inside, although he didn't show it. Maybe that was the consequence of such a gut feeling, maybe that was why it was such a terrible power, because it meant feeling something close to angriness... Yes, the consequence of being so much right after everything he had been through was that he wanted now to make justice, but not justice the right way. _Justice his own way._ Tim stared at the man with a bright new look, knowing how much he wanted him dead. He raised a hand in Rowanson's direction and freed a short scream as he hit his head with his gun, watching him fall, partly inert on the floor. He nervously rubbed his mouth and made a step forward.

''Where is Pierce !'' he asked and seemed to warn all at once, throwing a foot in the half immobile man's direction.

 _''I don't know...I...''_

''WHERE IS PIERCE !'' he insisted, shouting.

''Didn't g...get any news, McGee, I...''

The NCIS agent's left shoe hit the man again, sharing its owner's frustration.

Tim finally grabbed the man's collar, his own eyes about to turn wet...Pierce was the last one alive, as they hadn't found who had played fake Abby yet. _He needed to know._ And he didn't care how he would find out. The man remained silent in the end after receiving a few other blows, so Tim then knew what he had to do. He rubbed his neck and chin for a second, knowing he should wait for the adrenaline flow to reduce, for that bitter feeling of unspeakable unfairness to lower...but he couldn't. _He had to kill him._ Now.  
So that'd be what he'd do.

''You should have told me, Rowanson'' he said after some time, discreet sobs now stuck inside his throat, gun pointed at the bloody, unconscious man on the floor.

Tim's finger started pulling the trigger but a blow on his head brusquely made him join Rowanson on the floor, Tim facing darkness instantly.

''Sorry babe,'' Rebecca smilingly apologized to the first victim, proudly checking if her own gun was free of any damage, ''there was traffic on the road.''


	34. When enough is enough

Gibbs walked, quick as a flash, in Fornell's direction, discovering the crowd of passerbys, witnesses, ambulances and police cars around...and of course, the press. No possibility to keep them away, this time, someone had obviously provided them a perfect situation to focus on, and they wouldn't step back. He sighed with exasperation, not aware himself yet of all the details. NCIS pointing a gun at someone for no evident reason, the place evacuating in the middle of a Friday night...that was bad for them. _Really bad._

''Tobias,'' he finally said as he faced him, ''what the hell is that ? What happened ?''

''Please come inside, Jethro'' his interlocutor answered, grinning.

Gibbs instantly did so, visibly nervous, and took a look at all the elements on the floor. He immediately noticed the blood and desperately stared at the ceiling for a second. _He couldn't handle it._ Not another situation like this. And by saying 'he', he wasn't talking about McGee.

'' _How ?_ What led us to here ? I need someone to explain'' he restarted speaking, secretly nervouser. ''Whenever you want, Tobias, I'm free for the night !''

''Calm down, grumpy. You want to know what led us to here,'' he continued, making a few steps forward, ''I mean besides the pub's tapes, and the lot of people in there who perfectly heard McGee introduce himself after pointing a gun at someone ? Your agent took the liberty to trace him.''

''Which one ?''

''The movie guy.''

Gibbs walked away from Fornell a second later, focused.

''Why are you even here ? Don't you have a FBI fake agent to find ?'' he pronounced.

''It could lead us to Pierce, so that is related.''

 _''And you couldn't give me a damn call ?''_ Jethro kept talking from afar.

''I've always loved to spend some time in pubs. You should try, you old man !''

Leroy Jethro Gibbs finally completely disappeared from his sight, so he decided to go back inside and keep working.

''DiNozzo !'' he called.

''Uh oh.''

''You said it, David...'' Tony lowly commented, finishing his coffee in a hurry. He finally threw the cup in the trash can nearby and gave a last look at Ziva before approaching Gibbs. He sighed but tried not to make waves...after all, it was McGee that truly mattered now. ''Hi boss, you need me ?''

Jethro came closer, quietly threatening.

''I don't know, DiNozzo, should I wait for your orders ?''

Tony noticed the fake smile, the one Gibbs always had when he felt frustrated about something but was trying to hide it. _Men's ego._

''Meaning ?'' he asked willing to not turn yet into someone aggressive.

''Meaning _I_ am your boss but you are here with Ziva before I have a chance to drive to that location. May I believe this is your case now, Special Agent DiNozzo ?'' _Okay. Really frustrated._ Tony tried not to say any bad word but the chuckle escaped instead. ''What ? What can be so funny about it, Tony ?''

''Sorry, boss'' Tony apologized, smiling before turning cold. ''Is it...is it a joke or something ?''

"A _joke_ ?" Gibbs instantly repeated, furrowing both eyebrows.

Tony came a little closer as well. _Enough was enough_. He couldn't hold it back anymore.

''Yes, boss...a joke ! You perfectly heard me ! What the hell, boss ? Aren't you 'Master Gibbs', supposed to know everything before everyone ?''

'''Master Gibbs' ?'' he uselessly re-pronounced, knowing that wasn't the point Tony was trying to make.

''Yes ! That's your...job, or maybe your talent, I don't know, and for now, actually...I don't give a damn ! But are you seriously saying that you're mad at me for setting up that whole thing because I had the decency to check on your agent ? Yes, you know, the one you didn't want to contact because little Tim had decided to be off, so that was his fault, and...''

''Never said it was his fault.''

''Of course you did ! We can go through trauma anytime, we knew it at the moment we signed the paper for joining NCIS, but...yeah, let's _say_ it, even though I'm not telling you this is something fully conscious of yours, you are, _somehow_ , expecting us to be stronger than we should. _Admit it, Gibbs_ '' he continued, almost challenging him. "It's maybe just a very small detail, but _somewhere_ , inside that brain of yours...there was a little hope, a little voice speaking, and expecting for McGee to go back to NCIS right after he had Vance's agreement.''

''You traced his phone ?'' Gibbs said, almost like a warning, although it was obvious he was trying to change the subject.

'' _Really_ , boss ? You're blaming me for that when you're asking for worse from McGeek when you need confidential infos ? _Yes_ , I traced his phone after these guys in front of his place told me he had left for the evening. And you know what, boss ? I'm glad I was right, and I do not feel sorry about a damn thing ! You...you constantly do that, how can you blame me for...''

Tony reflexively rubbed his face after his umpteenth speech, as if to clean the desperation from his skin, but tension was still running through his veins, like a terrible venom he couldn't get rid off. He was finally fighting, and maybe it was adrenaline or something, but it was, somehow, making him feel a bit better...but all in all, McGee was still missing. And there was still blood of the floor.

''Tony ?'' Ziva called him in the end, although he could imagine she had nothing to say, that it was just an excuse to save him, or at least take him away from that situation...

''You are _not_ coming back inside, DiNozzo."

"So what now ? I'm punished ? You can't keep me away. I brought you here when you were about to drink whiskey with your shadow and build a millionth boat.''

''What's wrong with you, DiNozzo ? You want to fight or something ? Your want your revenge ?'' Jethro challenged him, calm again.

''Don't tempt me, boss.''

''Go on, Tony. _Punch me_. Maybe that'll make you feel better and we'll be able to focus on why we're here !'' he kept insisting.

''Oh _really_ ? And how am I supposed to focus on anything if you do not want me to come inside and...''

''Okay, okay, boys, that's enough'' Tobias suddenly interrupted them, joining the duet.

'' _Answer me, boss._ You want me to wait outside and read some newspaper with the hope that McGee's face will show up in one of their articles ?'' Tony couldn't help but continue saying, angry. _'''Lost agent in need of his family : please contact this number' ! ''_

Fornell raised a hand in front of him and started whispering, now looking embarrassed. _''Guys''_ he insisted. ''There are people listening to us, if you know what I mean...'' he discreetly articulated as well, moving his head in the press' direction. ''You both heard me ?'' he lowly continued, trying to calm them down. '' _Good._ Very good. Now why don't you guys just go in two separate directions for a while, uh ?''

''I'm good, Agent Fornell'' Tony finally commented bitterly. ''I'm just gonna go back to NCIS for now.''

''Good. Just do that, then. And you, Jethro...why don't you come inside with me again, hmm ? To show these people here NCIS and FBI are _really_ working together on that case, and doing great.''

Gibbs simply sighed and Tobias understood it as an agreement. He quickly took a look at Tony, rejoined by Ziva.

''Ziva ? With me. Tony...'' he pronounced, holding back a groan. ''I see you at NCIS.''

''Yeah. Let's do that.''

The agent watched Ziva approach Gibbs and quickly observed them leave, his mind full of so many different feelings... What was the word to use when there was no pure hatred but a real, true anger against someone, some anger you thought you couldn't control anymore as things were only going worse and worse, weeks after weeks...? He clenched a fist and kept himself from punching the wall, knowing the press was still around.

 _''Goddamn it, Gibbs...!''_ he ended up saying a few minutes later, once locked in his car, punching the steering wheel. ''Goddamn it,'' he said, louder this time, ''you're _not_ the king of the universe !''


	35. Rebeccabby

Tim opened both eyes with difficulty, blinking and discovering half a dark world, then a brighter one...he blinked again, trying focusing better on where he could be. That wasn't NCIS... _that wasn't NCIS_. Good. That was still something good. At least they hadn't put him inside that bullpen's replica again. He painfully breathed in and out, suffering from a terrible headache.

 _''Wh...''_ he intended to pronounce.

Oh, yes. He had been hit by someone's gun, he remembered now. But whose gun, again...?

''Hello McGee !''

He slightly jumped as he heard his name, not realizing yet that someone could be talking to him... _but McGee was his name, wasn't it ?_ He wished he could have said 'hello' back, even with an audible contempt, but he was way too tired for that.

''Where are we...'' he finally managed articulating after some time, weakly looking for the female voice.

''Somewhere in the world'' she answered, smiling.

Tim's eyes opened wide as he started staring at one of his wrists, prisoner of a pair of handcuffs.

 _''Rowanson''_ he suddenly said, remembering.

''Yeah, at that time they've probably found him.''

''F... _found_ him ? I d...I didn't killed him. You did me that first'' he told her, slowly pointing a finger at the back of his head.

''Are you sure, Agent McGee ?'' the woman questioned him, finally approaching. ''According to what I saw when I went to the pub you were in, he looked in pretty bad shape.''

''Y...yes, but I didn't kill him. He was still breathing when...'' Tim continued, although he wasn't really sure, himself, if Rowanson was still alive after so many blows.

''Well, I'm sorry to inform you that you've killed Mr Rowanson, and this, absolutely soberly.''

''No...'' Tim immediately retorted, fully facing the woman, not knowing if he was reacting to her previous info or to the fact that she perfectly looked like Abby. _''I...''_ he tried saying, still shocked by so many elements. ''What do you mean by...he was...y-your companion.''

Tim instantly bit his tongue as he told her that very last word, feeling as if he'd just be stuck into some kind of stupid game...he wasn't a kid anymore, there wasn't any 'girlfriend' or 'boyfriend' when it came to killing someone, in the murder industry.

''How can you know, Agent McGee ?''

''Just a feeling.''

''Rowanson was too heavy to carry, and obviously not willing to follow us without getting under our feet, with all that blood around...he's in the cold chamber, if they haven't taken him out of there yet.''

''Easy to eliminate proofs...'' Tim mumbled, feeling desperate.

It was like being back to the very beginning. Abby was here, just in front of him... _not the real one, not the real one..._ but again, it was hard to think completely straight in the middle of this situation, because it was bringing back so many memories he had wished so much to forget, or deny...but he guessed that wasn't the only place where he had been out of his mind. Beating Rowanson to death in that half crowded place definitely wasn't an action coming from someone who was thinking 'straight'.

 _''Tim, Tim, Tim...''_ Rebecca or...Abby said, coming closer. ''Please don't worry about proofs.'' She smiled and gazed into his eyes, moving forward again. She pushed Tim's free hand with one of his own and he saw her lips ready to touch his, bewildered. _That wasn't Abby, right, that wasn't her...was it ?_ Yes, that couldn't be... She finally kissed him and he let her do so, Tim feeling his heart ready to explode for an eternal second, and the woman then stepped back, now whispering.

''What...do you mean ?'' he lowly questioned her, feeling very strange right now.

She smiled again, looking confident, and lowly answered him back.

''I killed him with your gun.''

McGee's heart instantly seemed ready to explode again, but this time not for the same reason at all.

— — — — — — — — — —

...Tony left the elevator and entered the bullpen, lost in his thoughts. That large, orange work area was completely empty and that definitely wasn't helping, although he perfectly knew he wasn't in the mood to see anyone for now.

 _''Tony ! You're back !''_

The man rolled his eyes but tried to smile anyway, thinking that the numerous forces of the universes might simply be against him today.

''Hey, Abbs.''

''You're alone ?'' she asked, with that same energy.

''Yep.''

''And you're unhappy.''

''Yep.''

''Okay, Tony, first : you need a hug !''

''Abby...''

''Come here, Tony ! And that's an order !''

The NCIS agent briefly chuckled and opened his arms a bit reluctantly, although he had to admit it wasn't that bad in the end. He was certainly just too tense to really enjoy it.

''Number two ?'' he then dared, expecting something else.

 _''I've got her !''_

''You've got who ?''

''Her ! My evil twin !''

''You have an evil twin...?''

''Of course, Tony ! _We all have !_ But you know what I mean. I have that bitch. I mean...not physically speaking, but shortly on one of the tapes."

"I _need_ to see that, Abbs.''

''I bet you do'' she commented, smiling.

Abby energetically grabbed his wrist and made Tony follow her to her lab, the male agent happy, somehow, to be able thinking about something else, if not someone else. He was apprehending seeing Gibbs again. _He didn't want to._ Hell yeah, he didn't want to see that old face before maybe a decade.

''She played the smart girl, but not _that_ smart'' Abby started explaining, revealing an imprecise picture of what seemed to be the woman they'd been looking for, for so long. ''She arrived and turned back to the camera, but do you see that mirror in the corner of the pub ? Yeah, I know, that's completely useless as a decoration, but...

''Not that useless, obviously, if it reflected her face. Excuse me for a second. Yes, David ?'' he said after grabbing his phone and sighing.

Abby waited, sucking the straw of her Caf-Pow, sensing there was some tension going on, but remaining silent, for once. She didn't like when the members of her family were mad at each other and fighting.

 _''Tony, I can't be long, but...''_

''Otherwise, you're gonna have your wrists severely slapped.''

 _''Tony, I was trying to be nice, but if you think this is funny, I...''_

''Tell me, David. What's going on ?''

 _''We had a little surprise at the pub. Cold chamber.''_

Tony took a look at the ceiling, heavily exhaling.

''So I guess the only thing that fake robbery is gonna cost us is money.''

 _''You guess right, Tony. Obviously he's not gonna come home. Okay, I really have to go, I see you later, alright ?''_

''Take your time...'' the male agent retorted, bitterly.

He finally re-approached Abby and faced her again, quickly sharing with her the details he'd just gotten from Ziva's call. She seemed to freeze for a second and put back her soda on the table next to her, looking disappointed.

''So that explains what happened once cameras stopped.''

''Wait, what do you mean by 'stopped' ?''

''Our girl managed to shoot them from different spots.''

''And so what ? Who _cares_ , Abby ? We saw her hit McGee on the head, then all the cameras got shot, it's like having truth served on a silver platter.''

''Yes, Tony, that's what I thought, too, but now that I think back about it...''

''Yeah ?'' her interlocutor asked, impatient.

''There's something you should watch as well...''

Tony's eyes opened wide as he discovered McGee pointing a gun at Rowanson, before turning violent. He had heard about it once he had arrived on location, but then tapes had been sent to Abby, and he had, somehow, decided not to believe in it until he'd have a chance to completely watch them... Now he could see people scream and leave...at least Tim wasn't threatening them, either. Abby noticed Tony's eyes turning glassy and decided to press 'pause'.

''Okay, Tony, here is my guess, from some outsider's point of view. That woman is definitely guilty, truth is that she was entering a pub with a gun loaded...''

 _''...so did McGee.''_

''So did McGee, _yes_ , but what I mean is that she is guilty. Now the problem is that you can see McGee threaten and beat Rowanson for no obvious reason, then a woman comes inside...she is guilty, okay, but maybe a jury will think she was just trying to protect her man...''

''That isn't supposed to be something romantic, Abby...''

''I _know_ , Tony, but that's how it is ! So they can think she is hitting McGee in order to protect Rowanson from the blows he just had received, Tim ready to share a bullet for the very last time...then the woman moves.''

''And ?''

''And that's the point. She gets out of the way, cameras get broken, and we don't know anything else. Did McGee was just feeling dizzy for a sec and decided to stand up and finish the work ? Get revenge ? Did _he_ order her to break these cameras ?''

''That's insane, Abby...and extremely stupid.''

''They've been broken with her bullets. _She_ could have finished the work. But Rowanson gets killed in the end with Tim's gun, after everyone could see him attack him the whole previous time. Rowanson in the cold room, that woman who disappeared...she could be a hostage !''

''Okay, Abby, stop. You know McGee didn't do all these things.''

''I know, Tony ! But that's what people are gonna think, unless Gibbs, Ziva and Fornell, find another proof that might lead us to McGee. Whatever we're doing right now, Tony, if we don't know where is McGee before anyone else, there's no chance for us to save him ! He cannot end up in jail...''

Tony suddenly stroked his hair with both hands, making a few steps into the lab, nervous.

 _''Okay,''_ he started speaking again, trying to calm down, ''I don't trust lawyers, that's for sure, but...but I trust in Ducky and Palmer. _Yes_ , I trust in them. They've got to find something.''

''Don't you trust in Gibbs, too ?'' the woman asked as she raised her arms in the air, almost shocked.

The male agent rubbed his neck and wished for the continuous flow of informations running inside his brain to stop for a minute.

''Yeah, yeah...'' he said in the end, not believing his words, ''him, too.''


	36. Pierce's plan

''Hi there'' the woman said, coldly.

''Hi, babe.''

Rebecca helped the man to take off his coat and wrapped her arms around his waist, kissing him.

''Is he still there ?'' he asked.

''Dowstairs'' she confirmed, nodding.

''Good. I'm gonna have some quick diner. Then I have a few phone calls to make.''

Rebecca nodded again and quietly followed him to the living-room.

''So what do we do, now ?''

''We wait, honey.''

''Wait ? Why for ? Can't we do that now ?''

''Do what ?''

'' _Leave_ , Mark.''

''We need to wait a little more. It'd be too dangerous to do that now. It's too early.''

Rebecca let the coat fall to the floor and sighed, rolling her eyes before staring at the man.

''You _have_ the money, right ? You taught a lesson to NCIS, robbed someone from the FBI, and none of the people who worked with us risk to expose us anymore'' she added, briefly chuckling.

''Dead, or out of the way, indeed.''

''So : anyone else you had a grief with in the past you'd like to add to the list before we go...?''

''No, honey. I wish I could, but I seriously need to calm down for some time, now. Otherwise I'm back to square one.''

''No, you won't. Of course you won't.''

Rebecca sighed again and sat down next to Mark, sensually kissing his neck and lips. He let her continue for a minute before slowly grabbing her cheek, staring at her.

''No one saw you, right ?''

''Are you seriously asking ?'' she questioned him, disappointed. ''I did everything the way I had to, I wouldn't understand why people would know anything about me. Unless Mr McGee down there starts speaking, but until we decide to free him, there's no reason for him to say a word about me.'' She finally stood up and lightened a cigarette, approaching a window. She then deeply breathed in and out and took a look at him from her spot. ''The one who gathered the proofs that led you to prison...'' she begun articulating, lighter in hands.

''Abby Sciuto.''

''Yeah, that one. Why didn't you kill her first ?''

''Playing with them all was funnier.''

''You made a hell of a mess, that's true'' the woman commented, chuckling. ''But still, you could have killed her, and at that time, we'd already be thousands miles away from that damn place.''

''What, you don't want to 'free' him from the basement ?''

Smoke left the woman's mouth and teeth as she started grinning, looking at the sun.

''I don't mind. But I'd have preferred you to kill the girl. She looks pretty stupid, like if she is five years old, or something, and that McGee is quite cute, to be honest.''

''Aaaah, don't worry, darling, you'll have enough beautiful men to take a closer look at in...Punta Cana, or any other place we'll go to'' the man said, lightening a cigarette as well.

The woman quickly laughed before touching her cheek, desperate to see some powder remains on it. _That was truly disgusting, even for her._

 _''What ?''_ Mark asked, groaning. ''Don't you all, women, put a lot of make-up on your damn faces everyday ?''

''Not that much, Pierce,'' she answered, complaining, ''and that usually ends up directly on my _real_ face... Come on, do I still have to pretend ? He's been drinking the water I gave him for two days, I'm sure the pills inside would blurry enough his view, anyway.''

''I don't give a shit about it, Becca.''

 _''You and your games...''_ she finally added before walking away from the window, crushing her cigarette stub on the coffee table.

''It's what I call a long process, honey'' Mark proudly tried to explained, now unscrewing a beer bottle.

''Well, I prefer a bullet between the eyes.''

''Yeah, tell that to your ex-fiance.''

''Fuck you, Mark.''

Rebecca quickly kissed the man's lips in the end and walked in the bathroom's direction, ready to put on that Abby's mask again. It'd been only two days since they'd decided to keep him with them, but with the quantity of pills he had been swallowing and the absence of any meal in his body, that McGee'd certainly be inclined to believe anything.

— — — — — — — — — —

...Ziva entered the bullpen, tired, and noticed the neutral female voice speaking.

"Tony ?'' she naturally asked, approaching.

 _'It has now been two days since...'_

''Oh, hi, David'' Tony pronounced as soon as he noticed her, looking busy. ''Come on, this is a mess. Vance is gonna kill me.''

''What are you talking about, Tony ?''

 _''This.''_

His thumb pressed repeatedly one of the remote control's button, the sound coming from the screen's speakers now increasing a bit.

 _'...if FBI and NCIS are supposed to work in pairs on that very troubling case, involving one of their agents, tension seems to prevail in that situation. The press, which arrived on location after 911 received numerous calls from several witnesses at Finley's pub, reported that...'_

''Is that Fornell ?'' Ziva asked, pointing a finger at the older face.

''And Gibbs. And me.''

''Well, that's...''

''Bad. _Very_ bad.''

''Didn't Gibbs tell you about it ?''

'' _What ?_ Gibbs blaming me 'cause they recorded a fight _he_ started ? That'd be funny if he'd try.''

''Then why not Vance ?''

''He's been going to a Congress in Los Angeles. Waiting for his angry call any minute.''

''Okay.''

Ziva discreetly sighed and then headed to her desk, sitting in silence, logging in again. She could hear Tony curse ZNN, eyes still on the evil screen...she typed a few words on her keypad, visibly nervous, and tried in vain to focus on anything.

 _''Man...did you have to record that ? And you call yourself a journalist...''_ Tony continued.

Ziva instantly stretched a group of fingers, her hand briefly turning into a fist, and finally stood up again.

''Hey, David, take a look ! You see that little ponytail ? You're famous now !'' he commented with irony.

 _''Later, Tony...''_

Tony reflexively grabbed her wrist and gazed into her eyes, suspicious.

''If you want a coffee, too, you just need to ask for it'' she said.

''Ha-ha. What's your problem, David ?''

''My problem is that I can't work in here with you complaining for everything like a baby !''

''Oh, my bad,'' the man started exaggerating, ''but that little video is gonna cost me my reputation, Vance is gonna be so mad he'll...''

''And who _cares_ , Tony ? And more than anything, why do _you_ care ?''

The male agent let go off her arm but kept staring at her, feeling confused.

''Wow...someone is grumpy, today. What do you mean, David ? Why shouldn't I care ?''

The woman sighed and furrowed both eyebrows, now feeling bored.

''It's obvious you're willing to leave NCIS, Tony, you do not want to be here anymore, everyone can see it, so why do you even pretend to be scared of Vance ?''

He wished he could have said something straight away, but there was nothing coming out of his mouth, nothing but a silent agreement to what seemed to be an indisputable truth... Ziva then heavily exhaled and left to another corner of the bullpen, wishing she really could have a drink...at least she'd take a coffee for now.


	37. Kisses and shouts

He heard someone slowly walk down the stairs, his brain aching, his body hardly capable of moving, as if he had just turned into a victim of a thousand hangovers...he probably made a few movements along the floor, but they were definitely non-significant. He stared at the dark ceiling with no real will to do so, his mind only trying to process the info after numerous trials...how was it possible for a brain not to think at all, and still feel that much tired ? He breathed in and out so heavily that he perfectly heard himself.  
Steps of someone kept echoing nearby, although he didn't see anyone yet, not that he was even trying to...he blinked a few times more with dry eyes, desperate for some humidity. He couldn't say a lot about his situation, if only that he was dehydrated as hell. _'Come on'_ he thought, sharing a free advice with his own person. _'Think, Tim. Thin...'_  
He heavily breathed in and out again, even tired of this sound...too many efforts for breathing, that really hurt.  
He forced his eyes to open again and observed the place, that time used for justified curiosity seeming to take an eternity... _where was he ?_ And who were they, anyway ? He was pretty sure he could have answered at least one of these questions, but his new world had turned into a blurry one hours, maybe days ago, and he wasn't certain of anything anymore. _A ladder._ Probably the one leading to the rest of the house, apartment, cabin...well, just a ladder. And knowing there was a ladder in here wasn't helping at all. Ladders in dark places were never leading to anyone, if only psychopathes. If only Tony was here. He'd certainly tell him about an umpteenth horror movie including ladders... _ladders were scary._  
He had no other choice but to close his eyes again, his world spinning around him, making him feel dizzy... _'I need to...find a way...'_ he thought, exhausted.  
He blinked and reopened his eyes, noticing the new guest. That was her...it had always been her...he briefly smiled and stopped, even this small emotional action seeming too hard to express.

 _''Abby...''_ he mumbled.

''Hi, Tim !''

''Abby'' he repeated, trying to control that painful smile. ''You missed me...'' he continued, pronouncing half a question.

''Of course I did, Timmy...but now I'm here. I'm always here.''

The kiss on his lips slightly woke him up, although he definitely was somewhere else... _was she the real Abby, or..._  
He deeply exhaled as she stepped back a bit, and tried to understand the meaning of this...he blinked a few times more, his brain not doing its work properly.

''Abby, I...are you Abby ?''

 _''Yes, Timmy''_ she now whispered, smiling.

''Abby, I...'' Tim pronounced, dizzily continuing his speech.

''Yes, Tim ?''

The male agent breathed in and out, trying to stay awake before speaking again.

''Abby, I think I like you.''

Tim approached his weak free hand and started stroking her cheek, tired as hell but knowing deep down that he wanted to keep doing what he had just begun, now feeling warmth along his pinker face...he smiled and approached her lips again, his own touching her delicate mouth...

— — — — — — — — — —

''This is a disaster, gentlemen, well, if I can call you by that name !'' Vance dryly pronounced, facing Gibbs, Tony and Fornell. He turned the TV down and the ZNN logo then disappeared from the screen. ''What the hell happened in that place ? _And you two_ ,'' he added, pointing a finger at Tony and Jethro, ''are you two five years old and incapable of acting like professionals and adults ?''

''DiNozzo made the decision to play solo as soon as he discovered McGee might have been going to that pub...'' Gibbs started explaining, energetically.

'' _Wait_ , with all my due respect, Director, we are talking about someone who made up a last minute plan, setting up a pathetic robbery and breaking doors for fake, while...''

 _''Hey, watch your mouth, kid,''_ Fornell interrupted him, _''we needed a plan B and...''_

''...and who, of course, wasn't planing to tell a word about this to the agent targeted'' Tony continued louder, willing to be heard.

''McGee isn't the center of this case, DiNozzo, this whole plan was about Abby...''

''...but they are taking it out on Tim !''

 _''You know this is more complicated than you think,"_ Tobias said from afar _, "you can't just...''_

 _''Enough !''_ Leon shouted, before turning neutral again. ''As much as you know I am not very inclined to share every detail of a case to the ones who are victims in that specific case, I am sure you know this is quite a different situation. _Everyone_ in that team has been targeted, why I think that must be a bit egocentric of yours to think you should have kept everything for yourself, Gibbs.''

''Leon...''

''I am not finished, Agent Gibbs !'' Jethro slowly raised his chin as he heard another shout from Vance, frustrated to be taught a lesson in front of Tobias and Tony, but he didn't say a thing and kept listening to what was said, or at least pretended very well. Leon now stared at Tony, seriouser than ever. ''Obviously I am not gonna say I'm sorry about your decision, Agent DiNozzo, I cannot imagine how worse things could have turned up if we had heard of McGee after anyone else...''

''Thank you, Director, all I wan...''

''... _but_ , I am still wondering what is going on in that brain of yours !'' Leon hid both arms behind his back, sighing, looking at them all. ''Do you really think you are in some kind of police TV show, gentlemen, or did these numerous years at NCIS and FBI are responsible for all of this and have basically fried your brains, making you think you could take crazy decisions all by yourself ? Tracing your colleague's phone because he doesn't answer your call ? Calling a friend who owes you a favor and break terrified civilian's door to pretend something that didn't happen ? Did you ever take the time to ask for a warrant before deciding to arrest Rowanson ? Oh, yes, _I_ did. I did it from that damn office while you were all rushing to the elevator, ready to kill, or...''

''A warrant, Leon ? _Really ?_ Are you really gonna blame us for that when we knew this guy was a damn dangerous psych...''

''Even dangerous criminals have rights, Agent Gibbs, and this, whether you like it or not ! What if he had finally been alive, discovered that this robbery was only a fake one, and that you had broken into his place without any authorization ? With a very good lawyer, and God knows what or who else, we could have ended up being the ones accused by a criminal ! Be glad for this man to be dead, gentlemen, otherwise I can't be sure we would both still be working in here at the time we're speaking.''

''We are not making the laws, Leon'' Gibbs finally said, Fornell nodding from his spot.

"I do not either'' Vance retorted immediately, calmly angry. ''Now I advise you to go down and see with Ducky if there is anything you can know about Rowanson. You can start from the beginning if necessary, I do not care, but I want you all out of here... _now !_ Agent Fornell, FBI needs you for an interrogation at 2pm, I'd advise you not to be late.''

''Alright, Director.''

Leon waited for them all to leave before rubbing his face with exasperation. _How exhausting._ How exhausting it was to be a Director...and work with them all.

— — — — — — — — — —

...Tim's hands kept stroking the fabric of the black jean and jumper, a thousand emotions running through his dizzy brain. Rebecca didn't let him get rid of her jacket when he tried, knowing that was a yes to take off some more, a chance to discover the mask under her clothes...McGee was drugged enough to not think about it and believe her when she said she was Abby, but he wasn't stupid either. He'd notice something if he'd see something. She enjoyed the numerous extra kisses provided by the man, though, palms of his still moving along her waist and legs...she finally moved away from him when she thought it was time, both silently feeling some kind of frustration.

''I'm sure you could eat a little something'' she said after hesitating. ''But you'll have to drink water again, alright ?''

Tim didn't get the courage to nod in return, still too exhausted and now a bit more confused to react. He simply dizzily moved, watching her, heading to the ladder, and waited for her to disappear. He then slowly took the small item he had just found in her pocket, while he was kissing her deeply and more... She might have made a mistake, carrying it with her, or maybe he was just very lucky, but the plan had definitely led to something. He heavily exhaled and blinked, drug still killing him in the inside, and intensely stared at the little silver key he had now between weak fingers, proud and exhausted.  
He still didn't know if she was the real Abby...but at least he had a way to escape.


	38. Blows and goodbyes

Tim desperately tried keeping himself from vomiting, his free hand covering his mouth...the headache was coming back, he could feel it. He blinked and stared at the small key again, attempting to work things out. _Oh God, how hard was it to think._ He pushed his back against the wall and started freeing himself from the handcuff, taking care of not doing it completely. He deeply exhaled, feeling heavy as hell. And now he had to control his hand's weight...he sighed with exasperation, feeling groggy, praying for Abby to join him again. But what would he even do if she'd come back ?

 _''Abby...''_ he whispered, not especially waiting for an answer.

— — — — — — — — — —

...Tony and Gibbs went out of the elevator, both silently glad for this short moment in that silver cage to be over. If there was one thing Jethro couldn't agree with, that was receiving a lesson from Leon Vance, even more when in front of witnesses. He heard a movement coming from the automatic doors and then freed his usual sentence, waiting for a direct answer.

''What's new, Duck ?'' Tony simply remained silent and stayed a bit behind, waiting as well. _''Duck ?''_ Gibbs repeated, impatient. ''What are you doing ?'' he finally asked after some time, noticing his agent approach one of the refrigerated cells.

''Taking a look at our man'' Tony neutrally answered. ''We don't need Ducky to open one.''

The male agent discovered the now cold body of the one who had been working with them as a double agent, dubious and speechless all at once, staring at him.

''McGee surely didn't do this to him'' he commented, eyes on the deadly red hole.

''Maybe'' Gibbs said. ''He didn't take it easy with his fists, _though_.''

''His legs, too, I know. I've watched the tapes. I still stand by every word I said, _though_. McGee's innocent.''

''Traumas change men, Tony.''

The male agent looked away from Rowanson for a minute, eyes now on Gibbs.

''And how does it change the fact that McGee is innocent ?'' he neutrally asked, although there was some obvious bitterness in the sound of his voice.

''Didn't say he wasn't, DiNozzo. But McGee isn't the same anymore.''

''Yeah, no kidding.''

 _''Meaning ?''_

''Meaning we _all_ are, Gibbs. We've _all_ changed the very minute it started, weeks, and weeks ago...I don't count them anymore, looks like an eternity, already.''

Tony sighed and approached the cold body again, not really aware of what he was trying to find, or really take a look at. _Maybe he was just looking for answers..._ answers he'd never get. Criminals usually did things for money. As soon as it was for revenge, reasons were usually too personal to be properly explained and understood. At least McGee might give them an answer concerning Rowanson...if they'd ever be able to find him one day.

— — — — — — — — — —

Rebecca went down the stairs, Tim could hear it. He blinked with difficulty, trying to stay awake and get rid of that horrible stomach sound, keeping his arm immobile.

''Tim ?'' Abby said. The man slowly turned his head in her direction, exhausted but nervous. ''I have a bunch of grapes for you. Would you like some ?''

He nodded with no hesitation, no matter how desperate it made him look. She put the glass of water on one side of the floor and started feeding him, that same Abby face on hers. Tim watched her fingertips get close to his lips, the woman giving him some food, wishing he could kiss her...or kill her.

— — — — — — — — — —

''Why do you want to quit NCIS, Tony ?''

Tony moved away from the dead body's cell again, calmly facing Gibbs.

''Why didn't you visit me all that time I was in jail ?''

''I asked first.''

 _''No_ , Gibbs,'' he instantly continued with emotionless eyes, although it was clear there _was_ some emotion in him, '' _I_ did. A very long time ago. I asked you as well why you had believed Abby was the real one when you had talked to her when I was, myself, just a probability for you, remember ?''

''What do you want, DiNozzo ?'' Jethro questioned him, raising his chin.

''I want you to admit it, Gibbs.''

''Admit what ?''

 _''Could you...''_ Tony slowly clenched a fist, as if to hold back an umpteenth sign of nervousness. ''Could you just let me finish when I speak, and try not to save time by interrupting people ?''

''People or yourself ?''

 _''All of them.''_ Tony gave a silent goodbye to Rowanson and closed his refrigerated cell, not willing anymore to know anything about him. ''You want to know why I want to quit ? _God..._ '' he said, chuckling. "I can't believe I'm the one answering again before you do... Boss,'' he continued, feeling strange to pronounce that word again, ''I'm... I'm tired of you.'' Gibbs raised his chin for the second time, as if to contain his frustration and still show he was the one in charge, but not a single word escaped his mouth, this time. ''I want you to admit it, Gibbs. To admit the fact that you are _affected_ by this situation, like we all are. I do not ask you to cry over my shoulder, obviously you won't, and of course I know you have a role to play in that team, but you...'' Tony started pointing a finger at Jethro but then stopped, too proud to show any new sign of vulnerability. _He had done it enough._ He begun walking again, now getting closer to the automatic doors, and faced the older agent again. ''You let me down, Gibbs. You forgot I was your agent, and in no time you'll do the same with Ziva and Abby. Okay, maybe not Abby, yet, and Ziva probably won't feel _that_ affected, because, well, Ziva is Ziva...but me, boss. You _abandoned_ me. You abandoned me, and who knows how you'll feel about Tim if he ever comes back. Will he be too weak to be one of yours ? Will he...''

'' _What_ , Tony, you didn't get enough hugs and head slaps from me ? You needed more than that to feel special ?'' Jethro asked, already regretting his words.

'' _Stop it...!_ Really, don't you get it, boss ?'' Tony's voice suddenly increased in Ducky's work area. It's not just about jail, or mistrust about my actions !''

''Then _what_ , Tony !''

''You are soulless, boss...'' Tony slowly articulated, almost hysterical, now wishing he could punch himself and get rid of that awful and so useless conversation. "You want to play the tough guy ? Go for it ! But we are not robots, Gibbs, we are not Marines ! The whole team has been through a mess, McGee might be in heaven by now, unless Mark Pierce and his half fucking dead team have another plan for him, and you just damn act as if nothing had happened, as if there was no worry to have about anything ! What is your technique, boss, are you really excelling at pretending, or do you purely and simply feel nothing about this case !''

Now Gibbs could see the opposite eyes turn a bit wet, and the skin around the face get redder than before, but still, he couldn't say a thing in return, or at least not what Tony seemed to be expecting from him.

— — — — — — — — — —

...Tim swallowed a piece of grape that was given to him and deeply gazed into the woman's eyes, torturing himself about his decision. He had already killed her in the past, right ? He thought about it and wondered what was worse...to think that he had already killed someone he truly loved, or that that same person was still standing in front of him after he had killed her ? He swallowed the food and took a discreet look at the water, confused. _Okay, not that discreet._

''You're gonna have to drink it, you know ?'' the woman said, eyes on the glass. ''I'm sorry, McGee.''

He stared at her another time, quick as a flash, infos crazily running inside his brain.

''I'm sorry, too'' he sincerely said, brusquely freeing his wrist from the opened handcuff, now wrapping his palms around her neck.

He would have thought a drugged mind and empty stomach would have given him less chances to start and finish his horrible task, but some strange adrenaline seemed to help him all the way through. He could see that lovely facial expression of hers change throughout the awful seconds, the mask moving a bit under the terrible movement...  
He jumped for no explainable reason and let her go when he felt that was the end of her existence, shocked and extremely confused. Headache went back to his brain like an explosion inside a box and he slowly started looking for the mask, scared as hell.

 _''I'm so sorry...''_ he said after some time, shaking, once he discovered the face under it, meeting dead Rebecca. ''That is not what I wanted, Abb...I...'' He stopped for a second, incapable to truly name her. _''I'm so sorry...''_ he then simply repeated, crying.

— — — — — — — — — —

''So you want to quit, Tony, that's what you want ?'' Gibbs continued and approached him, confronting him.

''Well, in a place where there is no trust in me, and with someone heartless like you, _sure_ , the whole thing starts being a little bit tempting !'' Tony instantly retorted, his blood boiling.

''Okay, then !''

''Okay, what !'' he asked back, his faced redder than ever.

''I won't force you to work in such terrible conditions, DiNozzo ! You're fired !''

''Oh, no, I'm not, boss !''

'' _What_ , Tony ?'' Gibbs kept questioning him, briefly chuckling. ''You want me to beg you to stay or simply to contest my own decision ?''

''Don't give yourself such a power and don't you dare firing me when I tell you _I_ am the one who quits ! I am so tired of you taking decisions for me when you don't even care doing your job as a support in your own team.''

'' _Get out, DiNozzo !_ Get out ! I'm tired of you, too, and I refuse to work with a teenager anymore !'' Gibbs shouted and pointed a finger at the exit, his skin red as well.

''I told you _I_ was the one taking decisions now !'' Tony shouted back and insisted. The male agent made a few steps forward and punched Jethro right in the face, watching him fall to the floor. He then shook his own fist, trying to get rid of the physical pain it had caused to it, and stared at the older body, angry and confused. ''We are _not_ Marines, Gibbs...'' he slowly pronounced again, almost breathless. ''And congratulations, boss...you've lost me.''

Both automatic doors opened in front of Tony, who finally left the space for real, the male agent not even noticing Ducky approach the same ones, bewildered. Gibbs slowly started standing up and the old ME hurried in his direction, raising an arm, helping him.

''Did you enjoy at least one part of the show ?'' Jethro asked, groaning.

Ducky sighed and gazed into his eyes, ready for a sincere speech.

 _''What, Duck ?''_ Gibbs questioned him, expecting it, too.

''You know I refuse any kind of violence when it comes to express ourselves, Jethro...''

 _''But ?''_ he asked straight away, visibly angry.

''But you cannot say you did not see it coming. Now I would like you to come back later in here, if you do not mind, I think there is enough bad energy in that place to handle for a single person.''


	39. T & G

Tim stared at the inert body again, still extremely shocked by his recent action, before rushing to the grapes remains, starving. He felt the tepid juice and pieces penetrate his mouth with deep enjoyment, feeling, somehow, like a new man. His consciousness was still quite affected by the drug running in his body, but he couldn't complain that much after finally being able to eat something. He suddenly stopped for a handful of seconds, feeling breathless with too many pieces between his cheeks. He turned his head and faced the one he had just lost a brief moment ago. _Was she really...dead ?_ She seemed so. He pressed his teeth into the juicy food again and painfully swallowed, unable to say if it was because he was eating too quickly or if his mind was simply keeping processing the terrible information.

 _''Oh, God''_ Tim suddenly lowly pronounced, before throwing up.

His drugged heart started beating faster than ever, sharing its reaction, now helping him really understand.

 _He had just killed someone._

— — — — — — — — — —

''I'm quite busy, Abby...'' Tony said and sighed, his phone pressed against his ear.

He quickly opened his drawer with his free hand and took out a few magazines and items.

 _''Ducky just called me ! What do you think you're doing, you stupid man, no way you are leav...''_

''Abby, my decision is taken. Now could you please let me finish what I have to do bef...''

 _''Tony !''_ the voice said louder, insisting. _''You can't be serious, right ? Ducky can't be either ! He told me to offer taking you to your car and be a good friend...are the two of you out of your minds ! Of course I won't just 'take you to your car', Tony, you are so not leav...''_

''Listen, Abby, I'll talk to you later, okay ? I'm really sorry, but I'm not in the mood.''

He hung up the call and gathered a few other things inside a box, his mind busy with so many thoughts. She'd made him pay for interrupting the conversation, he knew it, but both previous verbal and physical fights were still too recent, and he was definitely too angry for now to listen to Abby's excitement. He finally threw his phone inside the box, adding the magazines on top of it, and bitterly left his badge and gun in the now empty drawer. He then grabbed that very same box with both hands, decided, and walked to the elevator. He nervously pressed the button, now waiting.

 _''Tony ? Do we have to go somewhere, any update about the case ?''_ Ziva's voice asked him from the other side of the bullpen, as she entered it. The male agent didn't mind answering, still half lost in his thoughts, and simply entered the silver cage, silently trying to deal with his own problems. ''Tony, what's in the box ? Files we have to work on ?'' she continued, quickly approaching. ''Damn it, Tony, why can't you answer m...''

''Later, David'' he finally said, both silver doors hiding his whole body from the bullpen.

''Damn it'' the woman cursed, feeling frustrated. ''Ah, Gibbs,'' she said a minute later, glad to see there was still some people working in here, ''I've just seen Tony leave the bullpen, is there anything I can do about the case ? Am I supposed to follow him somewhere ?''

''Later, David'' Jethro's voice neutrally repeated, his owner looking for the stairs.

The older agent immediately hurried to them, visibly lost in his thoughts as well, and almost disappeared from Ziva's sight.

 _''Wait,''_ she said as she noticed it, ''what happened to your eye ?'' But Gibbs' silhouette then fully left the space she was currently standing in, sharing no answer. _''Am I missing something...?!''_ Ziva ended up saying, raising both arms in the air. ''God ! Why are men always that stupid ! Sorry, Phill,'' she carelessly added as the man stared at her from the corner, her blood still boiling inside, ''I wasn't talking about you.''

...Jethro kept himself from completely punch the wall next to him, only slapping his palm the strongest way possible against it, feeling frustrated as hell. He'd press the elevator's button from another floor at some point, but now he only needed to let it go, all that mix of very strange feelings poisoning his mind and body... _he had to go home, now._ Yes, if he usually might be good at staying at work and put the pressure on everyone every time he was going through something very hard, this time, he knew he _had_ to go home. Boat, whiskey, ironing, even, maybe...he didn't care at all, all he wanted was to open that door and enter his own space...for the rest of it, he'd deal with himself. He tried thinking for a second about Ziva and Vance still at NCIS, but the thought flied away quite easily, anyway. He was way too angry to worry about them at all. _Three missed calls from Ziva_. He'd deal with that later, too.

— — — — — — — — — —

 _''Becca ?''_ someone asked from upstairs. _''Becca, where are you, for God sake ?''_

Tim jumped as he heard the deep man's voice resonate, knowing he had to do something now.

 _'Think, Tim, think.'_

He got rid of the acid liquid around his lips and tried not to look back in that woman's direction.

 _'What do I do, now ? Do I...what if...'_

 _''If you've decided to fuck with that geek you'd better be doing it with his dead body, 'cause you were supposed to be back in that damn kitchen half an hour ago !''_

Tim stared at the watch around the female wrist, still trying not to look at her face. _Half an hour..._ had drug made him think for that long without actually doing nothing...?!

 _''Becca !''_ the man insisted, suddenly going down.

 _'Think, Tim. Think. Think, for God sake, unless you only want to die.'_

He watched his own hand turn into something extremely shaky, eyes on the pair of handcuffs.

 _'I do not know what to do. I do not fucking know what to do'_ he thought, now shaking everywhere.

Mark Pierce walked on the very last stair and didn't see Rebecca's body yet, only noticing Tim's silhouette in the half darkness. He instinctively moved his palm in order to grab his gun, but two silver circles brusquely hit his skin. The cuts weren't very deep in the skin, he could see it, but the surprise seemed to have worked anyway. Pierce noticed the blood on top of his hand and suddenly heard the scream of his coming guest, Tim now rushing in his direction, desperately jumping on him.

— — — — — — — — — —

...Jethro finally approached NCIS' parking lot, still very angry. He walked next to his vehicle's door and suddenly raised his head, noticing someone. Only a few minutes had passed, but it was as if he had already forgotten. _The whole thing still seemed so unrealistic._ The dark memory suddenly came back to his mind and he exhaled even deeper. Tony was a few cars away from him, and he had noticed him, too. The younger agent closed his trunk and made a few steps forward, opening the driver's door, and then briefly stopped and stared at his former boss from afar, looking worried.  
Gibbs was imitating him when he finally interrupted his action as well, as if he was feeling the need to confront him one last time before escaping...but Tony's angry eyes reminded him of something else. _There was still someone to save._ Someone from the team. _McGee..._ if it wasn't too late, already. _No._ He couldn't go home. _Not yet._ However how bad he could feel about this whole situation.  
Tony seemed to nod at the invisible, hand wrapped for good, this time, around the vehicle's door.

''Save him, Gibbs,'' he neutrally said, ''and bring him back to NCIS.''

Jethro wished he could have said something but nothing came, if only a silent agreement concerning his former agent's words. He slammed his door and finally stood still in that same parking lot, watching Antony DiNozzo sit and close his own before starting his vehicle and leave.


	40. T & P

Pierce suddenly felt Tim's weight fall on him, confused and surprised. The NCIS agent raised both palms in Mark's direction, weakly intending to strangle him, but his opponent was way too strong to simply let someone else win without fighting, himself. He immediately punched McGee in the stomach and watched him directly half fall, enduring the new blow's consequences.  
Tim took a quick look at the gun, now on the floor, wondering if he could...

''Still up, uh ? Seems like someone had enough shitty water to not feel the kicks in the 'conventional manner'...''

Tim didn't answer, still having troubles focusing properly, and tried punching back his interlocutor...obviously failing. Okay, maybe he wouldn't be good at attacking properly in the shape he currently was, but at least Pierce was right, saying he'd certainly endure things way better than he would have thought.

 _'One point for drugs'_ he quickly guessed.

''Where the hell is Becca, you little son of a bitch !'' Pierce brusquely asked and threatened all at once, his eyes looking for the body. _''What,''_ he immediately added, pushing McGee against the wall, ''she wasn't good enough for you ? I'd have thought her style was close to one you really like, though.''

Tim barely noticed the grin, too busy breathing in and out properly, eyes focused on the gun...it was as if Pierce wasn't even looking for it anymore since the attack's beginning, and that could then only mean two things : he was now willing to make him suffer, and basically able to know it'd be easy fighting against someone like him. _Yeah, all in all, and from his point of view...that looked really bad._

 _''She's...dead''_ Tim finally managed articulating the words, one of Mark's arms strongly pressed against his neck, his back still stuck to that very uncomfortable piece of wall. He thought for a second about what he had just said, reminding himself he had just killed someone... Rebecca's inert body finally appeared in front of Pierce's eyes, as if it'd never been there before, and Mark then tightened even more his arm against his new victim, watching his face turn white and red in some places, exhausted and breathless. _''Is...''_ Tim tried saying in the middle of that mess, struggling swallowing the air around, ''is it worth it, Pierce ? Was it ? All of this ?''

''I can't believe it,'' the man said, chuckling, ''you're nearly dead and you still manage talking ? _What_ , you want to psychoanalyse me one last time before heading to Hell ?'' Tim deeply gazed into his eyes and painfully swallowed, exhausted. ''I do not regret any single part of my silly game, Agent McGee'' Mark disdainfully pronounced in the end, staring back at his victim. ''People like me do not turn wiser when they go out of jail. I'm not a saint. I wasn't scared when I was there, therefore I am not afraid to go back, if I have to. That's my strength, Agent McGee, that's my biggest strength to keep doing what I do...and what I _did_. You all had to pay for what you did to me all these years, and I am very glad it paid off, especially that way. At least I'll have nice memories...''

''Good for you'' Tim suddenly said, managing freeing a fist, but Mark simply treated his new action like a joke, his fake smile disappearing as he punched him back for real, this time. McGee felt the hand wrapped around his collar and the blow coming, feeling weaker and more useless than ever.

''You want to fight, Tim ?'' the man questioned him, more aggressively. ''Then do it like a man !''

It started like a simple slap but it was strong enough to push him to the floor. The young agent slowly and silently opened his mouth, a discreet sound escaping his mouth in order to express the pain...he then stood up and grabbed the man around the waist, both male bodies joining that very same place where McGee had just fallen a second ago...Tim quickly punched him in the face, suddenly noticing the small amount of blood leaving the opposite nostrils, and he then silently cursed himself, almost not feeling a thing, but still feeling extremely groggy. Body parts were exactly where they were supposed to be, but he seemed to not be in control at all.

 _'Come on, McGee, wake up. You need to wake up.'_

He briefly shook his own fist and made his fingers move, hoping to accelerate any process possible...but nothing seemed to be fast enough.

 _'Do it, Tim. Now'_ he thought as he noticed Mark ready to fight back again, now looking angrier than before. He quickly took a look around, wondering if the gun was stil there, waiting for someone to take it...he finally ran in its direction, truly decided to catch it, but male hands grabbed his smelly outfit and he felt himself join that terrible floor again, the small weapon nearby moving away from the both of them.

'' _Enough_ , you bastard !'' Pierce yelled at him, strange sound Tim seemed to now be hearing from afar, his ears tired to listen, his mind and body hurt in so many places...

 _Yes, maybe that was enough._ Maybe it was only a matter of minutes, if not seconds. Maybe he'd die very soon and all of this would be enough and definitely over... The world seemed to stop for an undefinable time as Tim's eyes fully focused on the new gun's spot, not minding anymore if any blow would come in his direction and shut him down forever...

 _Here it was._

 _'Take it, Tim. At least take a chance.'_

He watched his own fingers wrap themselves around the weapon, now living in his own world, his weak body now trying to stand up.

''Mark Pierce...'' his mouth automatically pronounced, as if to arrest him, but two other palms grabbed his wrists with an extreme violence, McGee turning again into Mark's prisoner. Tim could feel the rage run through his veins, adrenaline now leading him to a place he wasn't certain to want to reach...he fought back as much as he possibly could, passionate and exhausted, and unwillingly shared a first bullet, Mark's body and his own desperately close to each other. Tim immediately let go a small sound of surprise, as if he was able to breath some air again, and the second bullet didn't wait before attacking right after the first one, making his world turn even slowlier and blurrier than before. He smiled for a handful of seconds as he finally took a look at his bloody hands, gun falling back to his first destination, the floor. _Drugs : 2, soberness : 0._ He smiled for the second time, looking tense and strangely happy, glad he almost hadn't felt a thing.

 _A red hole in his shirt. His shirt. Coldness._

 _'Oh God...'_ he slowly said, not really sure now to be fully understanding the meaning of the situation.

 _Red liquid running away from that hole. More coldness. Nothing existing around him anymore. Nobody. Nothing. Nowhere._

Tim's breath brusquely accelerated and decelerated, both these consequences sharing incredible and terrifying sensations to that weaker human being... He closed his eyes and clumsily fell to the floor, inert.

— — — — — — — — — —

 _(Hours later...)_

Tony heard the phone ring and reflexively grabbed the item, glassy eyes uselessly taking a look at the sky, trying to escape reality.

''DiNozzo'' he said bitterly, knowing that was his name, but knowing as well it was bringing back painful memories of his recent past.

 _''Tony, hey...it's...Ziva.''_

''Your name is on the screen, David'' the former agent neutrally commented her words, his eyes now meaninglessly looking around.

 _''Of course it is... Well...listen, Tony, I was calling to tell you...''_

''Yes, Ziva ?'' he almost said boringly.

 _''We...we found him, Tony. I mean, we didn't directly find him, but we received the info from the hospital after someone called for gunshots' sounds. One of the doctors recognized him and...''_

''Yeah, and ?'' Tony lowly questioned her, guessing the answer coming, eyes nervously staring at the sky again.

 _''He's...dead, Tony.''_

''I know'' he surprisingly said right away, trying getting rid of the sobs ready to leave his throat.

 _''You know...?''_

''Listen, I have to go, David.''

 _''Wait, Tony, you knew ? I think we should meet somewhere and talk about it, please don't stay alone tonight and le...''_

''I do not need a baby-sittor, David. Listen, I'm...sorry, but I really have to go.''

Tony suddenly hung up the call and stopped trying pretending at all, now forced to sit anywhere possible to endure and let go the pain and tears coming... He pressed a fist against his trembling lips and burst into crying, his entire body desperately shaking.


	41. The end justifies the means

_The man left his car and slowly approached the discreet little shop, suspiciously taking a look around, wondering if he might be followed. He finally entered the small place and walked to the counter, walking past a few glassy shelves._

 _''May I help you, Sir ?''_

 _He smiled carelessly and rubbed his chin, coming closer._

 _''Yeah, hmm...actually, I might be looking for a gun.''_

 _''Then you are at the exact good place, man'' the one in charge of the place suddenly turned familiar, grinning._

 _''That's perfect, then.''_

 _''Any advice needed ?''_

 _''Yeah, I am looking for something small'' he specified, noticing the numerous large weapons around._

 _''I have exactly what you need.'' The man walked away from his visitor for a minute and opened one of the lower shelves, carefully grabbing one of his precious articles. ''Semi automatic pistol 9mm, luger 8 rounds, polymer frame.''_

 _The potential customer simply nodded and made it move between fingers, silently thinking._

 _''How much for that one ?''_

 _''200 bucks.''_

 _''Looks like we have a deal.''_

 _The owner of the place smiled again, moving back to his counter._

 _''Someone knows what he wants. If all my customers were like you...''_

 _''You'd spend less time talking.''_

 _''Yeah, that too'' he said, chuckling. ''And does this man have a name ?'' he asked straight away, talking in third person._

 _''Didn't take my ID with me.''_

 _''What a shame...'' he commented, ironical._

 _''Let's say I simply thought...that this wasn't the kind of place asking for a name, if you know what I mean.''_

 _''I'm afraid we might have a problem, then, Sir.''_

 _The potential customer smiled again and briefly stared at the gun._

 _''What about 200 more and we forget the name ?''_

 _He noticed the cashier drawer's movement and suddenly understood he had done things right._

 _''Bullets are on the house'' the male voice said, one of the hands taking cash._

 _''I'll leave a good mark to your CSAT.''_

 _He put the gun in his coat pocket and headed outside, now waiting for a miracle._

— — — — — — — — — —

 _(Hours ago...)_

Tony heard his phone ring once again on the passenger seat and barely cared wondering who could be calling him. _Ziva, certainly._ He sighed and picked up, already angry again.

''You know, at some point you're gonna have to stop calling me, David !''

 _''Are you killing me, Tony...''_

'''Kidding', Ziva ! And I'm driving !''

 _''Yeah, that, too ! And whereabout, Tony ? Road 66, going on an adventure ?''_

''I don't know, Miss Curious, according to the sign in front of me, I'm heading to...Dale City !''

 _''And to do what, shopping, introspection, maybe ?''_ she uselessly asked, , angry as well.

''I don't know !'' he repeated. ''I don't know, seems like there is a nice waterpark, maybe I could go there for a swim ! I just _need_ some air, you get it ? I don't fucking care where I'm heading to !''

 _''So what is it about ? You punched Gibbs and decided to quit, and no one in here ever thought about telling me ?''_

''I told you I'd talk to you later, is that so difficult to understand ! And don't you all have work to do ?''

 _''Yeah, I'm sure you will, Tony...!''_ she exclaimed, not listening anymore to any of his words. _''God, I knew you'd soon be on the verge of leaving, Tony, b...''_

''Then you shouldn't be surprised...''

 _''...but like this ? Years, working together, and that is how you say goodbye ? You'd better come back immediately, otherwise I swear I'm gonna break every door until I find you, and that means 'including your face' as well !''_

''You'd better not, Ziva, or...'' Tony brusquely pressed the pedal as he arrived to a stop and thanked heaven for not crashing into the opposite vehicle.

 _''Tony, are you okay ?!''_

''What, you want me dead and now you care ? Gosh, come on...'' he finally said, interrupting his current threat, rubbing his face, feeling desperate. ''Listen...'' he added, trying to calm down. ''We'll talk later, alright ? I'm in the middle of nowhere, now, so we'll meet anoth...''

 _''And where, Tony ? Are you still gonna stay here now that you're not working anymore at NCIS, or are you gonna keep doing what you do ?''_

''Meaning ?''

 _''Being impulsive. Who says you're not gonna move out and not share any of these news with me ? I do not know what to think of you anymore.''_

''We have phones, David, and this, wherever I go, and phones are made to keep in touch with people...''

 _''Yeah, speaking of which, aren't you supposed to stay here until you see someone at some point ? Vance ? Security ? I do not know how things are working in that very strange country of yours, but I guess they will want to check if there aren't any numbers, or at least sensitive infos you might have to delete !''_

''Oh man, I guess I'll soon have to make disappear these naked pictures of you before they come and catch me !'' Tony immediately retorted, looking falsely amused.

 _''That is not funny, Tony. I tell you, if you change your number or decide to move out without telling me, or if I don't have any news by tomorrow, you are likely a very dead person !''_

''Understood, Agent David.''

Tony had spoken very dryly and hung up the call immediately after that, stopping the car in the middle of the road, not minding anymore if he'd ever listen to any of her usual threats. In Ziva's language, he knew that meant she actually cared, but again, it was way too early for that. He was still feeling too upset and confused about so many things and people to actually care about socializing and sharing explanations for now. Director Vance would certainly want a face-to-face to clear up this situation as well, though...he pushed his back a bit more against his seat, already feeling bored, until angriness showed up again along his face, his phone ringing another time almost straight away.

''Ziva, what did I say concerning...''

 _''Agent DiN...azzo?''_

''It's DiNozzo,'' he instantly corrected, trying not to lose his temper with strangers, ''but I am not a...''

 _''I'm glad you replied, I...well, my name is Amelia, I had this...''_

Voice looked very hesitant, so Tony decided helping her and be kind, understanding she wasn't used to such a call.

''Sorry, Amelia...can you tell me what it is about ?''

 _''I am looking to reach N-C-I-S''_ she slowly articulated, giving Tony a approximate idea of her age.

''Alright, Madam, thank you for calling me. But why me and not the NCIS Agency number ?''

 _''Sorry, it is my sister who sent me this one. She told me she had been having diner at some...pub a few days ago, in Washington, with some people of the fam...''_

 _''And ?''_ Tony immediately insisted, now feeling extremely curious but very impatient as well, the old woman seeming ready to share too much, and speaking too slowly.

 _''She came back later to that pub and said she had met you there, that you had given her your card. But then the place was full of journalists, and she c...''_

''Do you have _any_ information to give me, Amelia ?'' Tony insisted even more, his heart rate suddenly brusquely increasing.

 _''She told me recently to be very careful, you know, at your age, this is something that can be very worrying, with all these dangerous people around...''_ she continued, Tony trying not to roll his eyes, nor to lose his temper, now feeling sweat along his forehead, _''...so she kept an eye on the case and told me that the comp...composite sketch I could see on TV was apparently related to it, and...''_

 _''Amelia...''_ Tony said, trying to interrupt.

 _''...oh, she hasn't seen her, obviously, but I did, and...''_

 _''Wait,'_ ' Tony suddenly exclaimed, now really willing to know more, ''what do you mean by 'I did' ?''

 _''Well, I was surprised to see her but she is back ! I've seen her leave the grocery a moment ago, I do not know when she arrived exactly, but...''_

''Are you sure this is the one you've seen, Amelia ? The woman we are currently looking for ?''

 _''Well, I'm pretty sure''_ the woman immediately confirmed, looking a bit excited by the situation _. ''That's Rebecca Simpson, she comes in town from time to time, she has a small house. Do you think she could be in danger ?''_ she now asked, worried.

''Yes, she could'' Tony instantly lied. ''That is why I need to know where you are in Washington. Do you have the name of the grocery, by any chance ?''

He took a quick look over his shoulder, trying not to create any accident, and turned the steering-wheel at its maximum, feeling pumped up.

 _''No, I am in Fredericksburg, about 50 miles from...''_

''Yes, I know where it is. Well,'' Tony restarted speaking very seriously, turning, this time, his steering-wheel in the opposite direction, ''now I need you to stay inside, wherever you are, and to tell me the address of Rebecca Simpson.''

The former NCIS agent grabbed a dusty pen and began writing on his palm all the infos he had just received, all the previous angriness against Ziva now getting out of his way, his heart still beating at this incredible pace...  
He needed to do something...but what ? Contact anyone ? He took another look at the signs around, knowing he was way to close to step back. Even crazy Gibbs on the driver seat would reach Fredericksburg before him. He thought of this for a second, just realizing he had no badge in his possession, nor any job anymore.

''Keep that phone with you, alright, Amelia ?'' he said before hanging up.

He deeply exhaled and pressed the pedal, now back on the road, overthinking... Would these tyrants get the justice they deserved if he was deciding to follow the rules ? And would McGee then still be alive he if actually was in that house, and still breathing for now ? He would have to contact them on the way, or to find a way to do so, but for now he just needed to react. _'Gut power'_. He briefly chuckled at the thought of it, silently mocking Gibbs. A new feeling of angriness, if not hatred, suddenly took control of his mind, his blood boiling this time because of unfairness... No, that was something he, that _they_ had been waiting for too long, whatever the problems they had all been through. _Justice. He wanted justice._ And maybe he was stupid enough to risk his life, or end up in jail, but that was a risk he was definitely willing to take. _He had to._ He briefly thought of his debit card, wondering how much money he could take from it.


	42. Don't let me down

...Tony noticed the cashier drawer's movement and suddenly understood he had done things right.

''Bullets are on the house'' the male voice said, one of the hands taking cash.

''I'll leave a good mark to your CSAT.''

Tony put the gun in his coat pocket and headed outside, now waiting for a miracle.

— — — — — — — — — —

Tony entered the garden from behind and ran to the house as quietly as possible, back hunched, strangely nervous. He took a look at the time and dived his hand in his pocket, feeling the gun. He could see someone move inside, but he wasn't sure...silhouette looked larger than the woman on the tape, maybe it was Pierce. He froze for a second, thinking about this situation. _What was he afraid of ?_ _And why was he afraid at all ?_ He had been a Special Agent for years, but now that he had left his badge on his desk...he couldn't really explain it, but things were different. _Very_ different. He took a deep breath and took a new look at the window, part of him happy to see that the Mark they had been looking for, for so long, was finally here, in front of him, in Rebecca's house...but then it was complicating the whole situation. Was it really better, that way ? And who was Rebecca Simpson anyway, hasn't she been working with them all, but then seeming close to Rowanson...then Pierce ? Which kind of girl could she be, if not a really vicious woman. He quickly smiled at his own thought before stopping doing so, knowing it wasn't only about relationships. _Hell yeah,_ this woman was clearly someone to be afraid of. Tony came closer to the window, bending forward, and Mark's face suddenly almost stick to the rectangle, the man lightening a cigarette. Tony brusquely jumped at the sight of him, reflexively pushing himself against the outside wall, raising his gun...he just had to shoot him, all he needed was to hear the click. But he couldn't. This was Rebecca's house. Who could tell she wasn't about to leave a secret place and attack him from behind, giving him no chance to come and save McGee ? But maybe there was no Tim anymore. Maybe both creepy lovers were simply taking some time off together in here after killing his friend, waiting for people to forget them... _'No way, Rebecca'_ he thought. _'You don't know it, but we've seen you. No way you're going back to that damn grocery again...'_  
Tony hit his own skull with the help of his fist, reminding his own brain that he should stop overthinking and start focusing. There was no point thinking about this anymore. After all, it wasn't just Rebecca's place. No one could ever get out of here, Mark Pierce was there, too. And he was so close to him he could see the smoke create spots along the window. At least our man was enjoying the backyard's landscape... Mark Pierce finally left and moved away, Tony's heart slowly going back to his normal pace. He half stood up and clumsily moved next to a smaller door, nearby, wrapping a large piece of fabric around his already protected fist, ready to enter.

''Okay...let's go.''

Tony completely got the gun out of his pocket, this time, the weapon touching one of his leather glove, and grabbed his phone before executing his plan.

 _''911, what is your emergency ?''_

 _''Hello,''_ he whispered, _''my name is...Thomas, and I'm calling you to signal that I heard gunshots coming from a house in Fredericksburg, address...''_

He could hear the voice speak neutrally on the other side of the line after sharing his own informations, as if to comfort him and tell him not to put himself in danger...he had said it so many times to so many people, he knew how it worked, and he did not care. Now he had to intervene, and put his life at risk.

 _''Sorry, Sir, can you give me your name ?''_

''I already told you'' he said a bit louder, now turning impatient. ''Thomas.''

 _''A full name, Sir, so I can identify y...''_

''Thomas...uh, Ben Thomas.''

 _''Alright, Sir, now what I need is you to...''_

Tony hung up the call he had started from that prepaid phone and quickly broke the piece of glass, wishing that no one had ever heard it.

— — — — — — — — — —

 _''Enough, you bastard !''_ Tony heard Pierce yell at someone, once arrived inside.

 _Was it Tim ?_ Was Tim still alive and downstairs ? But then where was Rebecca ? Tony stopped trying asking so many questions to himself and silently ran in the stairs' direction, expecting anytime the female's surprising presence.

 _''Mark Pierce...''_ a voice automatically pronounced at the lower floor, as if to arrest someone...

Tony's heart jumped and seemed to freeze for a second or two. _McGee._ Only two words but he was sure about that. That _was_ McGee's voice. He didn't care anymore about being followed by anyone and quickly approached the stairs, subject to his own energy, ready for this situation to be over. He raised his gun in the air, now discovering the two men's fight. He could feel Tim's rage run through his veins, adrenaline now leading him to a place he wasn't certain to want to reach...Tim fought back as much as he possibly could, passionate and exhausted, and unwillingly shared a first bullet, Mark's body and his own desperately close to each other.

 _''Mark Pierce, surrender !''_ Tony brusquely pronounced in his head, although he knew he had no official power anymore to say these kind of words. But he didn't say any of this anyway, his hands, gun and mindset now standing in some unreachable place, where things had turned illegal and spontaneous a very short time ago, when it had been enough to suffer from Mark Pierce and his team's terrible actions and consequences. Tim immediately let go a small sound of surprise, as if he was able to breath some air again...and the second bullet didn't wait before attacking right after the first one, Tony's bullet entering Pierce's skull, the former NCIS agent's eyes emotionlessly staring at their victim, the whole situation making Tim's world turn even slowlier and blurrier than before. He smiled for a handful of seconds as he finally took a look at his bloody hands, gun falling back to his first destination, the floor. _Drugs : 2, soberness : 0._ Tim smiled for the second time, looking tense and strangely happy, glad he almost hadn't felt a thing.

 _A red hole in his shirt. His shirt. Coldness._

 _''Tim !''_ Tony instantly exclaimed, running in his direction. _''Tim, can you hear me ?''_ he insisted, carefully grabbing his shoulders, noticing the confused facial expression in front of him.

 _'Oh God...'_ Tim slowly said, not really sure now to be fully understanding the meaning of the situation. His ears seemed to have lost their functions, all he could truly feel around were strange vibrations, if not just echoes and ultrasounds.

 _Red liquid running away from that hole. More coldness. Nothing existing around him anymore. Nobody. Nothing. Nowhere._

Tim's breath brusquely accelerated and decelerated, both these consequences sharing incredible and terrifying sensations to that weaker human being... He closed his eyes and clumsily fell to the floor, inert. Tony caught him at the very last moment and tried lying him down the best way possible, the man between his arms nervously blinking and softly shaking.

''Hey, don't worry, Tim. Everything will be alright.'' He took a quick look at Pierce on the floor, only noticing now Rebecca's additional body, nearby. He started feeling sick but tried focusing on the situation. ''Okay. Keep that, McGee'' he started saying, pressing Tim's hand on his wound, himself getting rid of his gun, placing him in Pierce's pocket. He immediately came back to McGee's position and increased the pressure by putting his own hands, this time; waiting and begging to hear any ambulance sound coming. ''Hold on, McGee, okay ? Hold on tight.''

 _''Ton...''_ a voice suddenly weakly said, the former NCIS agent immediately stopping it.

''Tho... _mas_ , McGee. Today is Thomas, okay ? This is Ben Thomas who's been giving you a hand today, alright ?'' he continued saying nervously, briefly chuckling.

That was a real _disaster_. That truly was. But he had had no choice at all.

 _''Thomas...''_ the voice spoke again, looking confuser than ever. ''Don't...don't let me down. Don't...''

''I'm not, McGee. I'm not. But I'll need you to be brave for a minute, okay ? That's why I need you to...keep pushing with your hands'' he calmly explained, his gloves touching Tim's hands again on top of the wound...

 _The ambulance, finally._

Tony's heart seemed ready to explode and stop forever all at once, whether or not he had been able to survive all this. He couldn't let him alone in here, even for a few seconds...but he _had_ to.

''Good luck, McGee...'' he said, eyes wet, as if to say goodbye.

Then he immediately looked for an exit and ran away from that place, knowing they were about to come.


	43. Welcome back

_(Days later...)_

"Looks like someone is having guests coming..." the nurse said, smiling at the group entering the space, then at him.

The man slowly tried moving in their direction, smiling weakly.

"Hi" he said, politely.

 _"Tim..."_ Abby lowly pronounced, opening both arms, although it was clear she was very excited, as usual.

"Wow, no Abby jumping on me and trying to strangle me, my situation must be pretty severe..." Tim commented, amused.

"What, McGee ? You already want a head slap ?" Gibbs asked, raising a hand, smiling.

"I'm good, thanks, boss."

"Welcome back, Tim" Jethro said in the and, briefly hugging him.

''Someone's been very lucky'' Ziva suddenly starting speaking, approaching as well. ''We've missed you, Tim, we hope you're gonna get better soon.''

''I'll do my best. Oh...'' he briefly reacted, surprised to see the female agent quickly wrap her arms around his shoulders.

Tim smiled but didn't comment. They had obviously been really worried about him. _That was nice._ He observed the room and the nurse leaving, that small place now looking different will all these new faces around him...but something was missing. _If not someone._ His eyes suddenly turned a bit sadder, if not preoccupied, himself wondering...

''What's wrong, McGee ?'' Gibbs asked almost immediately, sensing there was another question coming.

"Where...where is Tony ?'' Tim dared questioning him.

They all remained silent for a minute, although Jethro knew there was no sanity, making of it a secret. _That wouldn't be fair._ He sighed and got ready to explain shortly, knowing he had already wanted to keep things from McGee in the past...Tim didn't deserve that. He deserved the truth. Too bad he only realized it now.

''Is he working on something else, or busy with...'' the weak agent immediately continued, as if to keep himself from knowing what was wrong, from getting an answer he potentially wouldn't like to hear from them.

''Tony isn't working with us anymore'' Ziva spit it out in the end, Jethro secretly feeling a bit relieved.

''What...''

''He's still there, Tim'' Gibbs finally said, trying comforting him.

''What do you mean by 'he's still there', boss, he's...''

''Tim...''

 _''No''_ the young agent interrupted him, feeling nervouser than before. ''Wh...I mean, he's not there ! He's not working anymore at NCIS, and he hasn't come with you today, so how can you say...''

''Tim, breath in, please'' Ducky advised him promptly, using that same kind and calm voice Tim knew so well.

''Sorry, Duck'' he added straight away, slowly swallowing, then freeing some air. ''I'm just tired...I'm sorry.''

''There is no apologize to make, young lad, this is perfectly understandable. Now what is important to know is that Tony has been aware of what lucky event has happened to you, and I know he has been visiting you like we did, but you were probably in a worse shape at that very moment.''

''Did you come over earlier ?''

''Yes, indeed. As soon as we heard of you, being here. But it was mostly courtesy, as we were aware you wouldn't really, well...remember our presence, if I can say'' he ended his explanation, chuckling.

Tim briefly chuckled back and kept talking with them for a little while, although Gibbs could sense there was something more Tim was currently dealing with too, deep thoughts breaking the walls of his mind, itself waiting for more answers. He finally let everybody go when the nurse came back inside the room and only asked for an extra minute.

''Boss...'' Tim sincerely asked, going straight to the point. ''Is it my fault ?''

'' _Your_ fault, McGee ?'' Gibbs questioned him, raising an eyebrow. _''How ?''_

"Did I provoke his decision ?''

''Kind of.''

''So this _is_ my fault.''

''No, McGee. This situation provoked his decision, but it wasn't your fault. Actually, it was all mine.''

''But...''

''I'm sorry, Agent Gibbs, but now I really have to make you go. You'll be able visiting him tomorrow morning again, and he'll soon be good to go anyway.''

''Well, that's good to hear.''

Jethro nodded and patted his agent on the shoulder, feeling a bit less worried about him. He could see the dark thoughts of his heart reflecting themselves in his eyes, but at least he was now in a hospital bed and not drugged anymore in the middle of nowhere, nor about to die, or anything of that kind. That was still some kind of improvement.

''Now I want you to take care of you, Tim. There is still a long way to go, but I know you can do it.''

''Thanks, boss...'' the young agent pronounced almost robotically, not getting any extra time to keep talking to him.

Jethro gave him one last look and didn't wait to leave the room, truly glad to see him alive.

— — — — — — — — — —

...Tony walked to the door and opened it, untying his tie. He wasn't particularly waiting for anyone, but he wouldn't say no to a nice female creature, or a pizza.

 _'God, pizza, DiNozzo ? You're such a shame when you're depressed'_ he thought.

He pressed the handle and faced the man, worried.

''Oh my God. Is...is McGee alright ? Did...did something happen ?''

Gibbs' facial expression remained extremely calm, himself pronouncing his words the way he was usually speaking, neutral but confident.

''Nope. McGee's perfectly fine. A bit hurt and psychologically different, for sure, but he's alright.''

''Oh'' Tony suddenly commented, sighing. ''Then why are you here ?'' he asked, this time, wishing he could make the man leave his apartment instantly.

''What ? You're not gonna let me in, Tony ?'' Jethro questioned him, looking a bit amused.

The former NCIS agent reluctantly raised a hand, wishing for that silly conversational game to be soon over, inviting him to come inside.

''What do you want ?'' he asked, watching Gibbs sit.

Tony stayed where he was, standing up in a corner... _that was so Gibbs' style._ Gibbs was never sitting anywhere, especially in people's places, unless he really had something to talk about, or show.

''Why don't you spit it out, Gibbs, then we'll both save time and have plenty of it for personal hobbies.''

''Won't be long'' Jethro neutrally spoke again, diving a hand in his pocket. ''Just wanted to give you something back.''

''And like what, uh ? I forgot one of my magazines in the men's room ?''

Gibbs suddenly briefly chuckled, revealing what he had been hiding.

''Yeah, something of that kind.''

Tony opened wide eyes as he watched the weapon on his coffee table.

''What is that ?'' he questioned his interlocutor, blushing.

Jethro slowly stood up, answering as if to tell a story.

''Mark Pierce has been found with a gun on him...''

''Well, good for him. Bad people shouldn't have any in their possession.''

Gibbs briefly chuckled again, approaching Tony, and continued his speech.

''What is funny, though, is that we've found that second gun in his pocket...''

''Guess our man was being careful...'' Tony said and painfully swallowed, feeling nervous seeing Gibbs that close to him.

''Maybe. Seems like a basic gun. 9mm...'' Jethro commented, making it move between fingers. ''Probably bought somewhere illegally. Will be hard to trace it.''

Tony ended up moving from his spot, inviting his unwanted guest to leave sooner than he had expected.

''Well, thank you for the night tale, but I'd better be left alone by now, you know, there are plenty of movies to watch since I am...''

''...what is very strange, though,'' Gibbs interrupted him without care, ''is that he had _two_ guns, but only _one_ with his fingerprints on it. I've seen a lot of weird things on crime scene, _we_ 've seen a lot of strange things, haven't we, but how can anyone have a gun and let no fingerprints at all on it ?''

''I don't know'' Tony said, looking upset. ''Goodnight, Gibbs.''

Jethro didn't speak for a minute and brusquely pressed the gun in Tony's palm, deeply staring at him. He slightly shook his head and the confrontation smile suddenly showed up along his lips again, the former NCIS agent not daring saying anything at all.

''What did I mess up with you, Tony ?''

''A lot of things, certainly...''

''Well, then I guess this is yours... _Ben Thomas_ '' he slowly whispered.

 _''How did you...''_ Tony lowly asked, painfully breathing.

''I'm watching movies, too, DiNozzo. How funny it is to see how people can remain true to themselves, even under real pressure...a character's name, Tony, really ? I should have known better.''

''You have no clue who Ben Thomas is, Gibbs, you're...''

'' _Seven Pounds_ , Tony, really ?'' Gibbs insisted. ''A man sacrificing himself in order to save seven lives ? That wasn't really hard to make the link. Moreover...'' he felt like adding. ''I'm not an idiot.''

 _''Well, good to know...''_ Tony said, almost breathless now, his former boss pressing the wrapped fingers and gun against his chest, this time.

''Now you'd better make it disappear, _'Thomas'_ ,'' he threatened him before leaving, ''if you do not want to end up in jail for the murder of Mark Pierce.''


	44. Sorry I can't

Tony heard the knock at the door and swore there would be a dead man on the carpet if it was Gibbs coming again. He sighed as he pressed the handle, ready for sweet murder.

''Tim ?''

''Hey. Hi, Tony.''

''H-Hi Tim...please, come inside'' Tony said, surprised to see him in front of his place. ''Do you...do you need anything ? Wine, water...uh, cocoa ?''

He discreetly slapped his own forehead as he closed the door, feeling stupid. _Cocoa...it was as much dumb to propose so to McGee than to propose him a glass of wine._

''Water is fine'' Tim expectedly answered, walking in the living room's direction.

''So...'' Tony started speaking again once in the kitchen, seems like there are quite a lot of visits, recently...''

''You mean Gibbs ?''

''And Ziva, too, the other day. Didn't know I was that famous. Hey, listen...'' he added, noticing Tim polite smile, ''I really meant to visit you, I just...you know, with work and everything...''

''You mean the fact that you are not working with us anymore ?''

''Yeah. But...''

''It's okay, Tony. I know you've been visiting me'' Tim said as he sat down. ''I just wasn't really conscious to enjoy it.''

''Yeah'' Tony uselessly repeated, briefly chuckling. ''So...you wanted to see me, McGee ?''

''Oh, yes'' Tim suddenly strangely exclaimed, taken out of his reverie. ''I have something for you.''

 _'Not again...'_ Tony thought, remembering, himself, Gibbs previous words.

''Tony ?''

 _''Uh ?''_

''I was saying I had something for you.''

''Oh, true.''

''You know what ? Here it is.''

Tony welcomed the small fancy bag between both hands, curious. He pulled it out and discovered the name on the bottle.

''Côte de Brouilly...''

''Quite hard to pronounce, isn't it ?'' Tim asked, smiling again.

''Definitely ! But...that's a beautiful bottle, Tim...''

''I know you're into Italian ones, but I thought some French wine wouldn't hurt your tastes.''

 _''Obviously not...''_ Tony said, almost speechless. ''So...no love card with the present ?'' he nervously added, as if to hide how touched he was. ''I tell you, Tim, if you ask me to marry you...''

''What if I asked you to come back to NCIS ?''

Silence heavily weighed on the whole place right after Tim's question, both former and present Special Agents now feeling very tense. Tony tried to look away but Tim's eyes were on him, scared but insistent.

''Tim...''

'' _What_ , Tony ?'' he asked, calmly. ''For how long are we gonna pretend ?''

''Pretend ?''

''Yeah,'' he continued, standing up and facing him, ''pretend that you didn't save my life and put your own, including your reputation freedom, at risk ? I had lost too much blood to think straight about any name, but I know how to recognize a face, especially one I have been working with for years."

"Tim..."

"I need you, Tim. _We_ need you. Tony, I...I killed someone. That girl, pretending to be Abby.''

''You had no choice, Tim.''

''And I...I don't want to talk about it with anyone else, but you. I've already had to deal with interrogations, to tell and retell that same awful story of mine, but when it comes to... _friends_ ,'' he dared saying, ''I know who I want to talk to about it.''

''You can still tell Ziva, or...Gibbs'' he commented, although he wasn't believing his very last word. ''You have Ducky and Palmer, too...''

''I want _you_ , Tony. _You_ saved my life, and I want _you_ to be by my side so I can thank you everyday of my life for what you've done.''

''Tim...''

Tony nervously rubbed his neck, trying holding the tears threatening to leave his eyes, knowing that wasn't the kind of speech Tim was usually sharing with him. No, usual talks were made of unstoppable easing, especially coming from him, movie quotes and incessant jokes, not always the worst work atmosphere ever, alright, but not something that emotional. He wished he could have hugged him right now, but he couldn't give him a wrong message by doing so.

''Tony,'' Tim calmly continued, approaching closer. ''You killed Mark Pierce. You saved NCIS, you should be rewarded and thanked by all for what you did...come back, please, I'm sure we can make things work in order to have you back.''

The former NCIS agent rubbed his neck again and looked away, now feeling way too emotional. _He didn't like that._ To look vulnerable. And now McGee was the one making his heart melt... _that was something._ He slowly breathed in and out, finally facing his former colleague, but actual friend.

''Tim...'' he started saying for the umpteenth time, sincerely smiling.

'' _Yes_ , Tony ?''

''I'm sorry.''

The huge silent went back to the room and they both felt tense as hell, Tim still soundlessly waiting for a decision that would help him deal with everyday, the one saying Tony would come back and things would be difficult for some time, but then get better, as they would be altogether again, part of this amazing team he had always known...

''Screw Gibbs'' Tim suddenly broke the ice, not believing his own words. He seemed to be looking for apologies for a brief instant, but then renounced, strangely confident about what he had just dared saying. '' _Yeah_ , screw Gibbs. You know what ? He messed up ! Obviously I'm not aware of every details, as I wasn't always here to know them...''

''Tim, it is more complicated than that...''

''You think I don't know that, Tony ? He's always been like a father to you, yeah, even if you never really admitted it. I know he's not like your 'perfect role model', but you've always trusted him and wished to stay by his side, no matter what, so if you got to the point that you didn't want, or even _couldn't_ deal with him anymore, that must have been because he _has_ messed up.''

''Tim, we can't even exchange a word without wanting to punch each other, or be agressive.''

''Then don't come back for him !'' Tim almost begged. ''Come back for Ducky, Palmer, Ziva, Abby, and me !''

''You kept the best for last'' Tony nervously commented and chuckled, trying making a joke in order to hide his feelings again.

''Tony, we gave our _lives_ for NCIS, so we deserve to be important. Now please say _yes_ '' he said, his voice lowering a bit.

Tony heavily exhaled and faced him deeply, thoughts invading his mind at an incredible pace, telling him he should truly considered what had just been told and carefully explained...Tim's speech had been amazing, but could still he still be part of NCIS, was he ready to be back to the bullpen, knowing he had been betrayed and badly treated in so many ways and so many times during that insane case, and this, even for McGee and the rest of the team ?

''Tony, say something, please.''

The older agent painfully swallowed, eyes wet, thinking and rethinking about all these numerous elements, knowing he knew now how he felt, even after Tim's beautiful words.

''I'm sorry, McGee. But...I can't.''

''Tony.''

''I'm really sorry, Tim, but I can't go back to NCIS. This is...too painful.''


	45. Yes it is

_(Days later...)_

Tim entered the bullpen, glad to start working again, although there was some palpable tension in his body. How weird was it to be clean again.

 _'Clean'_ , he thought. _'Now I am the kind of guy who could have gone to rehab because of some drug I haven't been taking willingly.'_  
Hopefully, it seemed like he wasn't the 'kind of guy' turning into an addict. _'Hopefully'_ , he thought again, grinning ironically.

''Hi, Tim. Tim ?'' the voice repeated.

''Uh ?''

He faced Ziva, smiling.

''It's good to see you back'' she said.

''I was here yesterday.''

''I know.''

''Well, thank you again, Ziva. It's good to be back, too. I think.''

''You think ?''

''It's weird, that's all.''

''What if you just go straight to the point, Tim ?'' Ziva asked, amused. ''It'll make the both of us save time.''

''Let's say I just don't want another birthday in here.''

''I'm sure you don't."

Tim nodded and smiled again, Ziva patting him on the shoulder, and then walked to his desk.

"Don't worry, Tim'' she said, sitting down. I'll stop being too emotional when I greet you.''

''Oh, so you _are_ being emotional ?''

''Ha-ha. Sorry I can't give you more than that. Anyway, as I said, I'll stop soon, I promise. But I can't say the same about Abby.''

''Everyday is a resurrection'' Tim confirmed, chuckling.

He sat down and logged in, silently thinking. He had killed a fake Abby, thinking she was the real one. Then she was finally not dead, but he had killed her anyway...well, kissed her, too...before stealing that key...and killing her. He shrugged and tried clearing his mind, knowing the one he'll be seeing at work was actually the _real_ one. _It'd be weird._ Really weird at first. He just hoped it would pass.

''Lost in your dreams, already ? It's only 9am, McGee.''

''What do you think of drugs ?'' he asked straight away.

''Drugs ?''

''Yeah, I mean we all say 'In Vino Veritas', so is it the same for...''

'' _Wait_ , what is that ?'' Ziva questioned him, grabbing a notepad, ''is it another American idiom ?''

''It's latin, Ziva'' Tim explained, smiling.

''Ducky would love this conversation.''

''It means truth comes out with wine.''

''Well, that is quite understandable...''

''Then should it be the same with drugs ? I mean, if we feel like we want to _do_ things, or even _tell_ them when we have some in our body, do you think that it is because we really want to take these decisions, deep down ?''

''Did you want to kill Rebecca ?''

 _Ziva. Always so direct._

''I knew I _had_ to'' Tim answered, knowing inside he wasn't thinking of that event.

''Exactly.''

''So ?''

''I think drugs, or even alcohol, can give you the strength and courage you need to say or do things, but that doesn't mean you deeply want them. For example, alcohol can help me talk to someone in order to ask him to have sex with me, something I wouldn't have dared saying while being sober, but that doesn't actually mean I really want to have sex with him. It simply makes me braver to do anything.''

''I understand, now.''

''But again, that's just an example'' Ziva specified.

"You don't need alcohol to ask such thing, right ?''

''DiNozzo would have loved that conversation'' the female NCIS agent confirmed, grinning, crossing both arms behind her head.

''Yeah.''

''Whatever your question is,'' the woman continued and finished, sitting up, ''ask it to yourself again when you are sober. It'll provide you the answer you need.''

''Alright. Thanks, Ziva.''

''My pleasure, Tim.''

— — — — — — — — — —

 _''So we have a new BOLO on this man, Clayton Pinter, I finally got his name after days of research in the system, it is such a relief ! I mean, not that this guy is still alive, obviously this is a shame that this guy can still be free after all that he's done, but...''_

Tim didn't really listen to everything she was saying, Abby definitely speaking too fast, as usual, her mouth sharing words when not sucking an umpteenth sip of her precious Caf-Pow...

''Did I already tell you how much I was glad to see you back, Timmy ?!" she asked in the middle of her speech, dramatically.

"Three times, today'' Tim answered, smiling.

''And how much I was sorry for...''

''Four times, _yes_. And this wasn't your fault.''

Abby miraculously seemed to slow down and relaxed for a minute. It was only when she was feeling sad.

''Still...'' she said. ''I'm sorry for what happened. For everything, Timmy.''

''I know. Thanks. Abby...'' he added, all of a sudden.

''Yeah, Tim ?''

''I...''

He deeply stared at her, numerous pictures of life events running through his mind.

''Are you okay ?'' she asked, worried.

''No...yes. I don't know, actually.''

 _No, that was too weird._

''Earth to Tim, are you alright ?'' the woman insisted.

 _No. Something was definitely missing._

''Do you know where is Gibbs?'' he suddenly pronounced.

''I think he should be back soon from...''

''I'm coming back, Abbs.''

— — — — — — — — — —

Tim finally found Gibbs behind his desk, working on the current case.

''Anything new with Abby ?'' he asked, starting the conversation.

''Yeah...no. I don't know, actually.''

"You don't know ? Are you alright, Tim ?''

''Can we talk, boss ?'' he asked straight away, feeling a bit impatient, if not nervous.

 _''Now ?''_

'' _Yes._ Can we talk in your office ?'' he said.

 _''My office ?''_ Gibbs kept asking, strangely staring at the desk he was currently sitting next to.

''I mean...your office...you know.''

Gibbs' eyebrows suddenly slightly furrowed, the man now understanding.  
A minute later, they were both prisoners of the dark silver cage, both men still not believing McGee had been the one entering it willingly.

''What's wrong, Tim ?'' Jethro finally asked, neutral.

''I want you to talk to Tony.''

''We've already talked'' Gibbs retorted immediately, calmly sighing.

''No, I mean...I want you to _apologize_ to him'' Tim said straight away, now expectedly waiting for a death sentence.

Jethro's eyes confirmed his thought.

''I beg your pardon, McGee...?'' Gibbs asked and stared at him, visibly more than shocked.

''Listen, I've thought about it...''

 _''About what ?''_ Jethro seemed to seriously wonder, now terribly calm.

''I weird, not...'complete'. _God_ , I don't know how to say it... Boss, truth is that I focused on Tony getting back to NCIS, but I was wrong, and selfish, making of it all a story about me. I don't care if Tony decides or not to go back to NCIS, I just...I just want him to know that you're sorry. That's the only way for him to turn the page...with or without us. Boss,'' he added, quick as a flash, as if to avoid immediate revenge from him, ''there's too much anger in Tony. Too much _pain..._ And I can definitely tell, because I haven't felt that much anger in my entire life until that previous case we've all been through.''

''Alright, that's enough, let's get out of here'' Gibbs reacted, now being the one about to start the elevator again.

" _Wait_ , boss'' Tim exclaimed and insisted, not believing the words he was about to say. ''You...you don't get it.''

''Oh _really_ , Tim ? Then what ? What is it that I don't get, uh ?''

''I want you to apologize to Tony. Otherwise...''

''Otherwise _what_ , McGee !''

''Otherwise there'll be another agent leaving the team.''

Jethro now really got closer to Tim, confronting him with his crazy blue eyes.

''Is it blackmail, McGee ?'' he slowly questioned him, angry as hell.

Tim painfully swallowed, as if a heavy stone had just fell down his throat, feeling his cheeks about to burn. He deeply breathed in and out, secretly begging for air.

'' _Yes_. It is, boss.''


	46. Red hooded sweater and final

Gibbs hurried to his place straight after work. It obviously had been a busy day, and as usual they had finished quite late, but somehow he had hoped that this day would have last a bit longer. Tim had been hiding most of the time in Abby's lab after they had been restarting that elevator...or maybe Abby had really needed full help downstairs, and _he_ had been the one hiding from him. He sighed as he took his shirt and jacket off and covered his torso with his carpentry red hooded sweater. At least they had focused on a brand new case, and he had to admit it felt good doing so, but McGee...he went down the wooden stairs, looking for his boat. McGee had crossed the line, he thought, grabbing his tools. _Hadn't he ?_ He blew on the small glass after emptying it of its screws and poured himself some precious liquid. He drank a sip and took a look at his boat, thoughtful. _That was just a mess._ But nothing he could do about it. Right ? _Yeah, right._ He was right. He briefly chuckled and took another sip, now thinking of his future potential half-complete team. That was ridiculous. He took a new look at his large wooden construction, trying clearing his mind for a minute before starting his after-work hobby...

 _"Damn it, McGee..."_ he finally said after sighing again, emptying his glass before heading upstairs.

— — — — — — — — — —

"Gibbs, what the hell are you doing in here, it's 11pm."

"And so what ? Doesn't seem like you're sleeping" Jethro neutrally said, entering the place.

"Yeah, says the man wearing pyjamas..."

"It's my carpentry swe..."

"Why are you here, again ?" Tony loudly wondered, closing the door, not caring about Gibbs' groans and explanation.

"I'm here to talk" the older man answered, now accessing the living-room.

"People have phones, do you know that ?" Tony asked, already bored.

"Yeah, and would you have taken the call ?" Jethro questioned him, challenging him.

"If it was important, _yes_ , probably, but it's 11pm for God s..."

"Okay, enough," Gibbs suddenly interrupted both their complaining tones, "this whole conversation is leading nowhere."

"Then why don't you just go ?" Tony pronounced a bit louder, feeling anger come his way again. ''It was okay once, but more than that ? It _has_ to be a joke.''

"Because we need to stop acting like immature people and begin speaking man to man, to stop that constant conflict between us. What is it that makes us talk for weeks and fight..."

"And you never thought that maybe we had spent weeks fighting 'cause we never really take the time to talk in general, to express ourselves with actual _words_ ? Among other things, I mean" Tony added, dryly.

 _"Obviously..."_ Jethro confirmed bitterly, remembering the black eye. "So ? How are the jobs applications going ?"

"I think this is none of your business. Hell, _really_ , Gibbs, why in the world are you here again, and in the middle of the night ? You've lost a bet or something ?"

 _Yeah, something like that. McGee blackmailed me, saying he would quit if I wasn't coming to apologize._

Jethro silently swallowed the words, knowing that Tony would immediately fight back if he would dare tell him the truth. _Yes_ , first, Tony wouldn't believe anymore that Gibbs could ever care about him, and secondly, there was no doubt he'd instantly run to Tim's place and convince him he hadn't to sacrifice himself for his cause.

"Great..." Tony desperately said, rolling his eyes. "And now he isn't speaking anymore..."

Gibbs' mind suddenly left its silent introspection, the older man focusing again on his former agent's face.

"What do you want, Gibbs...! You come over and basically say nothing, what..."

"I want to talk."

Tony took a new look at his watch, feeling tired. Leroy Jethro Gibbs could really be energy-sucker, sometimes.

"You want to talk ? Let's talk, then ! But I'm afraid I won't have any great new things to put on the table, as you might remember, I've already yelled enough, including punching my boss."

The last word seemed very strange to hear, bringing back in Jethro's mind some kind of nostalgic feeling.

"Anything you might regret ?"

"Not a thing. I think your eye looked pretty well in purple."

''Great.''

''Great.''

"You're angry, Tony."

"It'll pass" the man immediately retorted, moving away.

"It won't. It won't pass, unless..."

 _Unless you damn apologize, Master Gibbs. Yeah, that'd certainly help the process._

Tony swallowed the words in turn and simply rubbed his face, more tired that ever.

 _"Why ?"_ he finally brusquely said. "Why, and this for the umpteenth time in weeks, did you dare not trusting in me, but the others, yes ? Years of loyal service, and for what, because you thought I was a murderer ? Screw these damn dead weirdos with their stupid masks, we are a family, you say ? Then you should have trusted _everyone_ , or _no one_ ! _Gosh_ , I'm exhausted, and I'm quite sure my neighbors are pretty upset with us yelling all the time. Gibbs, if you promise you won't come back I swear I'll stop yelling at you, I just want...I just...want this to be over. You can't keep coming, and... constantly dig the dirt."

Jethro approached closer, serious.

"I can leave, Tony, but it _won't_. Anger will stay, even if I'm away."

"Well, then I'm a hopeless case. Good night, Gibbs. And please don't come back" he said in the end, inviting the Special Agent to leave.

Jethro suddenly stopped next to the door, staring at his former colleague.

"No. You're not, DiNozzo."

"I don't care..." Tony interrupted the dramatic speech coming, a hand now wrapped around the handle.

"You've saved McGee, Tony...'among other things'" Gibbs specified. ''That isn't the kind of action desperate men are doing. Listen, I...''

''I don't care, Gibbs, I...''

''No, listen to me, Tony ! I was..."

 _"What ?"_ he asked as he gave up, upset, wishing for this conversation to be soon over.

"I was scared, DiNozzo. Tony."

"Of me, turning into a murderer, I know" he said, now pressing the door's handle for good.

But Jethro's palm suddenly stopped the man's movement.

"No. I panicked."

"That's what I said."

"No, I panicked and made mistakes because I thought I had lost my right arm _and_ best agent."

Tony froze for a minute, his eyes on Jethro.

— — — — — — — — — —

 _(A week later...)_

Tim entered the bullpen, smiling at Ziva, his brain tired and empty after his other session with the shrink.

"Interesting chat ?"

"Doc knows everything about me, now...I'm an open book." he commented, grinning.

''Which kind of book ?''

''Never mind, Ziva.''

He stared at the empty desk next to his, dropping his bag, sitting.

"Our newcomer should arrive this afternoon, that's what Vance told us last week."

"I know."

"Another woman would be nice..." she started wondering.

"Oh _really_ , Ziva ?"

"I'm not afraid of competition, McGee, if this is what you mean. Moreover, this place cruelly needs an extra female presence..."

The elevator's doors opened at the same time, revealing earlier the new NCIS agent.

"Change of plans, David, seems like I won't be able to please your fantasy...I think I might have a few feminine attributes missing."

 _"Tony...?!"_

Both Tim and Ziva brusquely stood up, not believing their eyes, letting him come closer, as if to confirm his existence. _That was strange._

 _"Hey, McGee, how are you..."_ he lowly said, briefly hugging him. "What about you ? You missed me, Ziva ?" he added, gazing into her eyes.

"Just a little bit" she said, grinning.

"Wh...well,'' Tim restarted the conversation, smiling, ''tell us everything, Tony, how..."

"Later, McGee" Gibbs' voice suddenly joined them, the older agent now walking between desks, discreetly nodding at their new guest, coffee between hands.

"Saved by the gong..." Tony nervously commented.

Tony headed to the stairs, already depressed, knowing how many days-off he would renounce to by managing coming back to NCIS, if it wasn't too late...at least Vance had tried making an effort. _That was something._

 _"Well, no head slaps yet, no movie quotes..."_ Tim sadly whispered next to Ziva after some time, eyes on Tony's silhouette.

Gibbs was now sitting behind his desk, silent as hell. That was definitely weird.

"It'll take time" Ziva said in order to comfort him, patting him on the shoulder.

"Don't you two have work to do ?" Jethro suddenly asked, not looking at any of them.

"On it, Gibbs" the female agent immediately reacted. "Tim ?" she added, staring at him insistently.

"I...I'm coming back, boss."

Jethro finally raised a head in his direction, now being curious. But Tim was already far away...

— — — — — — — — — —

 _"Hey, Tim !"_

"Abby...Tony is talking to Vance at the very moment ! I wanted you to know."

"Oh my God...really ?! That's...that's amazing ! I need to..."

The woman restarted speaking crazily, talking about so many things, including breaking into Director Vance's office, making welcome cookies with her Bunsen burner...

"Abby, _wait_. First there is...something I'd like to tell you."

"Like what ?" she exclaimed before trying to relax a bit.

He gazed into her eyes, repeating the words a thousand times in his head before revealing them...but what if they didn't make any sense ?

"Abby...what do you think of drugs ?" he asked all of a sudden, looking very nervous.

"What do I think of... _sorry_ ?" she repeated, now feeling a bit lost. ''What is that question, McGee, is everything okay with you ? You need to sit, maybe ?''

"No, no. Sorry...uh, that's not what I meant. I mean... Listen, Abby, I..."

"Yes, Tim ?"

He stressfully swallowed, terrified but decided, only certain of one thing at the very moment, that he was truly sober. He had already confronted Gibbs days ago, after all, so could it be really worse now ?

"Abby,'' he said, heavily breathing in, ''I...I think I like you."

 **THE END**.


End file.
